Nobbys Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Right off the bat, the next week and a half is looking pretty grim for decent waves at Nobbys Reef. It’s a real waiting game. The swell coming in is small and mostly onshore or weak, so you’re looking at a lot of closeouts and barely-rideable slop. We have a couple of brief moments of clean, glassy surf, like on Friday the 7th in the morning when we see 4ft of south swell with 9-second period and the wind is dead glass. It’s surfable and clean, but it’s not going to get the heart rate up. The energy is only 225, so it’s weak to moderate, nothing with any punch. It’s just a morning session where you can get a few soft ones.

After that, the week goes quiet again. There’s a long stretch of days, from the 8th right through the 16th, where the swell stays small and mostly under 3ft. Most of the time, the winds are cross-onshore or just not working in our favor, making it messy and hard work. There’s a moment on the 15th, Saturday morning, with glassy conditions and 2ft of south swell—clean, but so small you’d be fighting for anything rideable.

The real standout is on the 17th of August, Monday morning. That’s when it finally turns on. We’ve got 6ft of south swell, a 10-second period and a light cross-offshore wind. The water is clean, and the energy rating jumps to 622—that’s solid, strong energy. It’s the first day in a long time where you’ll paddle out and feel some real power. This is a reef break, so that long-period south groundswell will be working well here. It’s not too big to be scary, but it’s big enough to be fun. Just a note—this is more than a week away, so I’d treat the date as promising, not locked in, but it has all the makings of the best session on offer.

The Monday afternoon on the 17th gets bigger, 7ft, but the wind swings cross-onshore and it gets lumpy. That’s for the experts only if they’re keen, but the quality drops. Then Tuesday the 18th morning still has great potential with 6ft of south swell, a light cross-off wind, and strong energy at 918. That could be another excellent one, again, a week and a half out, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Before all that, if you’re a beginner, stay out of the water until the 17th; that 6ft swell might be a bit much. And if you’re just looking for the absolute best, circle Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th on the calendar.

Crowds are a possibility at this spot, so if it lights up, expect some company.

Signing off, Rusty.

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