Nobbys Reef Surf Guide

Nobbys Reef in Newcastle is an exposed reef break that has inconsistent surf Offshore winds are from the northwest. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southeast. There are left and right breaking reefs. Surfable at all stages of the tide. It's sometimes crowded here. Take care of rips, rocks and sharks.

Nobbys Reef Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef3inconsistent
67°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Nobbys Reef:

The best conditions reported for surf at Nobbys Reef occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

What's the best time of year to surf Nobbys Reef (for consistent clean waves)?

mayBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Nobbys Reef with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of May. Clean surfable waves are typically found 40% of the time in May while 47% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 13% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
40%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
47%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
13%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Nobbys Reef Location Map

Interactive Nobbys Reef surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Nobbys Reef is Newcastle Airport (NTL) in Australia, 15 km (9 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Nobbys Reef is Richmond Airport (RCM), also in Australia, 121 km (75 miles) away.

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  • Live Wave Height (ft)
  • Live Wind Speed (mph)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Nobbys Reef Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 7 July 2025, 16:45 Local Time
Monday 07
1PM4PM7PM10PM
Wave (ft)
1.5
SSE
1.5
ENE
1.5
E
1.5
E
Period (s) 8 9 9 10
Wind (mph)
10
10
10
10
Wind State cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off

Swell History at Nobbys Reef

Surf stats for Nobbys Reef, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Nobbys Reef

Wind stats for Nobbys Reef, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Nobbys Reef Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings
Based on 3 votes.
  • Overall:3.0
  • Quality on a good day:3.0
  • Consistency of Surf:2.0
  • Difficulty Level:4.0
  • Crowds:3.0
  • ...

See all 18 ratings


Review
Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.
campbell from Australia
“Nobbys reef and further out Nobbys bucket take offs, stands up, left and rights can be pretty heavy on occasions, when real big, rarely, breaks from the grouper right to the bucket thru the reef and on to the bank all left hand. It happens once every five years or so ....and less since the pasher bulker ship ran aground. A lot of world class surfers have been caught out at Nobbys reef...the spot 200 metres north slightly further out can be even heavier, much heavier.”

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