Nobbys Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Right, let’s have a look at what’s going on with Nobbys Reef.

The surf outlook starts off quiet, then gets a bit of a pulse, but honestly, for a spot that’s an exposed reef break for advanced crew only, the conditions are going to be a mixed bag. The water temp is sitting at 65°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real chance of a wave comes Saturday morning, September 12th. It’s a glassy morning with zero wind—dead calm. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the SSE with a very long period of 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is sitting at a moderate 469. For a reef, that long-period groundswell can wrap in nicely, but on such a small size, it’s going to be more of a longboard or funboard morning. It’s clean and glassy, but tiny. Later that afternoon the wind swings ENE at 20 km/h (12 mph), turning it cross-on and choppy, so the window is tight.

Sunday morning, September 13th is another clean one. Light NNE breeze, cross-off, with 3ft from the SSE at 9 seconds. The energy drops to 200, but it’s clean and surfable for the experienced. Not a standout, but a nice little session if you’re keen.

Now, Monday September 14th and Tuesday September 15th are pretty ordinary—small swell, poor winds, and the energy drops right down to 59 and 35. Not much to write home about.

Then we get a big change. Wednesday September 16th sees a solid pulse of southerly swell pumping in at 12ft, but with a short period of 9–10 seconds. The combined energy rockets up to 1756 and then 2309—strong wave energy. But—and it’s a big but—the wind is howling from the SSW at 40 km/h (25 mph), cross-on and messy. This is serious size, over 8ft, so experts only, and the wind is making it a washing machine. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The same goes for Thursday September 17th: 10ft dropping to 8ft, still cross-on and choppy, energy still high at 1512 and 1007. Not a good call for a clean reef wave.

The next real highlight comes on Friday morning, September 18th. The wind goes offshore from the NW at 10 km/h (6 mph), light and clean. Swell drops to a more manageable 4ft from the S at 8 seconds, with energy of 418. That’s a fun size for the advanced crew, and with offshore wind, Nobbys Reef should line up nicely. This is your pick of the forecast—the standout. It’s a consistent-looking window, but remember this spot is ‘inconsistent’ by nature, so you’ve got to be on it when it’s good.

Saturday morning, September 19th is also worth a mention: a whisper-light WNW breeze, cross-off, with 4ft from the ESE at 11 seconds, energy at 435. Clean again, and that longer period (11 seconds) gives the waves some punch. Another solid option, but the swell direction (ESE) isn’t the optimum SE that Nobbys likes best. Still, it should work.

After that, the second week fades out quickly. Sunday September 20th has a tiny 2ft with glassy conditions but not enough push. From Monday September 21st through to Saturday September 27th, it’s mostly small, poor winds, and weak energy readings (mostly under 100). The exception is Thursday morning, September 24th—a glassy morning with 4ft from the ENE, but a very short period of 6 seconds and energy of 215. It’s clean but the swell is short-period and won’t hold much shape on the reef. After that, it’s tiny and windy through to the end of the outlook.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is Friday morning, September 18th—good offshore wind, a fun 4ft swell, and clean conditions. The other decent window is Saturday morning, September 19th. The big swell mid-week is a no-go due to wind. Rest of the time is small and ordinary.

Rusty.

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