Nine Mile Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Looking at the next couple of weeks for Nine Mile Reef, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s some serious size and energy on the way, but the wind’s going to be the deciding factor on whether it’s worth paddling out. The first few days are a write-off unless you’re after a washing machine, but there are a couple of windows of clean, solid surf if you’re an experienced hand.

The opening stretch is rough. Saturday morning (August 8th) has some okay swell at 6ft from the SW, but with a light northerly breeze it’s not really doing much for the break. The real problem hits Saturday afternoon: the swell jumps to 8ft, and while the wind is light, the wave comment says it’s simply too big for this reef. That’s a pass. Sunday and Monday are worse – strong onshore and cross-onshore winds up to 22 mph, making everything a mess. The combined energy is moderate to strong, but the quality is just poor. You’d be wasting your time.

We get a slight breather on Tuesday morning, August 11th. The swell drops to 6ft, but it’s a cross-shore breeze, so it’s marginal. Not worth the paddle.

The first real standout is Wednesday morning, August 12th. The swell is down to 4ft, but the period is a juicy 19 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze, making it clean. The combined energy is moderate (1703), but for a reef break, that long period will make it groomed and hollow. This is a good one for the more experienced among you. Thursday morning, August 13th, is similar – 5ft of SW swell at 19 seconds, clean cross-offshore wind, and strong energy (1964). That’s another solid window.

The middle of the week drops off in size. Friday (August 14th) is glassy but small at 3ft, and Saturday (August 15th) has a moderate offshore, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. Sunday morning, August 16th, picks back up to 5ft with a 13-second period and glassy conditions – that’s a nice, clean pulse. Monday morning (August 17th) is similar, glassy with 4ft of swell.

The second week is more about consistency than size. Tuesday through Thursday (August 18th-20th) sees small, clean surf in the 3-4ft range, with offshore breezes. Nothing epic, but if you need a fix, it’s there. The models are less certain out that far, so keep an eye on it.

Then we hit the big finish. Saturday, August 22nd, the swell comes back with a vengeance – 8ft from the SW. The energy is strong (1948-2468), but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. Again, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. That’s a no-go for anyone but a lunatic. However, Sunday morning, August 23rd, cleans right up. The swell settles to 6ft from the SSW, the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze, and it’s clean. The energy is strong (1762), and the period is 12 seconds. This is the pick of the second week, but it’s a long way out, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed.

All in all, the standout sessions are Wednesday and Thursday mornings (August 12th and 13th) – that long-period groundswell with clean wind is the best on offer. The final Sunday (August 23rd) is a close second, but it’s a week and a half away, so we’ll see. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a steamer is still a good call.

For the beginners out there, stay out of the water on those big days – anything over 5ft here is a handful, and 8ft+ is expert-only. And when the wind is howling onshore and the swell is up, this reef setup looks more interesting for the kitesurfers than for us paddle surfers.

Rusty.

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