Nine Mile Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. Rusty here, looking at what’s coming for Nine Mile Reef.

The pattern is pretty simple: a whole lot of swell energy, but the wind is going to make life difficult for the first few days. Then a quiet spell, before a couple of proper sessions for the brave.

Starting off on Friday, July 10th, we’ve got a 7ft swell from the south, with a strong 13-second period. The combined energy is reading 1683, so there’s plenty of juice. But the wind is cross-onshore from the southeast at 9 mph, so it’s going to be bumpy and choppy. That’s a lot of wave for a beginner, too, with the height well over 4ft. The water temp is 60°, which is about normal for the time of year.

Saturday the 11th is similar – a 6ft south swell, but the cross-onshore wind is still messing things up. The quality just isn’t there.

Sunday the 12th, the swell drops to 5ft, and the wind goes light. It’s cross-shore in the morning, then swings right onshore in the afternoon. The energy drops to 874, so it’s weaker. It’s surfable, but nothing special.

Then we hit a lull from Monday the 13th through Wednesday the 15th. The waves drop under 2ft. The energy is weak, below 200. One small note: Wednesday morning the 15th is glassy, with a tiny 1ft wave, but the period is a very long 16 seconds. On a reef like this, that long period can make the wave stack up weird, but at least it’s clean.

Things start to build again on Thursday the 16th – a 5ft south-west swell with a 13-second period, and the energy climbs back to 919. The wind is light and it’s fairly clean, but it’s still considered marginal.

The standout is Sunday, July 19th. This is the one. Dead calm, glassy conditions in the morning, with a solid 8ft west-southwest swell, period at 11 seconds. The combined energy is massive at 2056. Now, that wave height is over 8ft, so this is for experts only. It’s going to be big, powerful, and clean. The swell direction isn’t a perfect match for the reef’s optimum SSE direction, but with that much energy and no wind, it’s going to be a heavy day for those who can handle it.

There’s another good call for Monday the 20th. Another glassy morning with a 7ft south-southwest swell, 12-second period, and 1084 energy. Still too big for beginners, but for the experienced, it’s going to be excellent.

A little later, Wednesday the 22nd looks good too. A 5ft south-southwest swell with offshore winds from the north-northwest at 6 mph and clean conditions. That’s a solid combo for a decent session.

Looking further ahead, Thursday the 23rd sees the swell return to 8ft, but it’s onshore again – that’s expert territory and likely messy. The real long-range gem might be Saturday, July 25th. That’s a week and a half out, so don’t book your ticket yet. But it’s showing glassy conditions with a 4ft south-west swell and a long 15-second period. The energy is 1247, so there’s real quality. That long period on a reef should produce some lined-up, groomed waves.

Overall, the first week is mostly blown out. The real action is from the 19th to the 22nd, with a few heavy but clean days for the experienced surfers. Crowds at Nine Mile Reef can show up sometimes, so expect some company on those good days.

Rusty.

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