Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the card for this stretch of coast.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – the forecast for the next 16 days is a real struggle. We're looking at a long dry spell of poor surf conditions, with no real standout sessions to get excited about. The first record we've got is for Thursday the 6th of August, and from there right through to Friday the 21st of August, it's all pretty grim.

The whole outlook is dominated by weak, inconsistent swell. The combined wave energy is mostly in the double digits, like 79 (weak energy) on Thursday morning, and a few times it creeps into the low triple digits, like 123 (moderate energy) on Monday the 10th afternoon, but it's never enough to make a proper wave. The swell heights are tiny, mostly between 1 ft and 3 ft, with a couple of days hitting 4 ft to 5 ft, but even then the period is short, around 6 to 8 seconds, so it's all windswell and no power. On the plus side, the water's sitting at 68°F, which is about average for the time of year, so the temp is fine, but the waves just aren't there.

The only break we've got any data on is Reef, a solid reef break that's exposed to SW swell. It's a fairly consistent spot, but it's rated for advanced surfers only. The wind is pretty much always cross-shore or cross-onshore, coming from the NNW or N, with speeds of 12 to 25 mph. That's a major issue – it's creating a lumpy cross-chop or messy conditions, so even if there was a little bump, it'd be a battle. The best swell direction here is from the SW, and we're not getting any of that. It's all W, WNW, NW, or NNW, which is a total mismatch.

The whole 16-day window is a washout. From Thursday the 6th through to Friday the 21st of August, there's not a single day where the surf is decent. The forecast says "poor surf conditions" on every single record. There's no standout, no hidden gem, no window of opportunity. The closest thing to a pulse is around the 12th to 14th of August, where the swell bumps up to 3 ft to 5 ft, but the period is short and the wind is cross or cross-on, so it's still rubbish. The 18th of August sees a tiny 0.3 ft swell with a long period of 14 to 16 seconds from the SW, which is the right direction, but it's just too small to do anything.

Honestly, if you're looking for a paddle, put the board away for a couple of weeks. The setup here is more interesting for kite surfing with that strong cross-shore wind, but for surfers, it's a waiting game. Forecasts can change, and this area knows how to turn on, but for now, we're in a flat spell. Rusty out.

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