Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for our local break, Reef.

To be straight with you, the next week and a half is a pretty bleak stretch. We've got a long gap of poor conditions from the start all the way through to the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. Strong northerly winds and cross-chop are just ruining any chance of a decent wave. The water temp is sitting around a very average 69°, so nothing unusual there for this time of year.

But hang on, things finally start to look up on the afternoon of Saturday the 5th of September. The wind drops right off and goes glassy from the ENE at just 3 mph, straight out of the east-northeast. We get a tiny 3 ft swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is weak at just 96. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". Honestly, it's the first clean window we've had, so if you are desperate for a paddle and a few crumbly little waves, this is your only shot. It's not going to be good, but it will be glassy.

Then the real standout arrives. Sunday morning the 6th of September is the best it gets. A proper NW groundswell pushes through at 4 ft with a lovely 12-second period, and the combined energy is a solid moderate 473. The wind goes glassy again from the west at just 3 mph. This is the only session I’d bother marking on the calendar. The conditions will be clean, the swell has some push, and with a longer period like that, the lines should be a bit more defined. Just be aware, it's a reef break that is "often" crowded, so expect plenty of company out there. This one is for the advanced crew.

After that brief moment of glory, the rest of the 16-day window is mostly a write-off again. Afternoon on the 6th goes cross-on and choppy, and then we're back into a long run of northerly winds and lumpy conditions. The morning of Tuesday the 15th of September shows a bit of a pulse with a 14-second period swell at 3 ft from the NW (combined energy of 370), but the wind is cross-off from the NNE so it could be clean, but it's a long-range call and a bit uncertain. It’s an "marginal surf forecast" according to the notes. The afternoon of that same day jumps up to 5 ft but gets hammered by a moderate cross-onshore wind, making it a choppy mess only suitable for the experts or maybe even the kite surfers.

So the bottom line: don't hold your breath for the first week. The only two windows to look at are Saturday afternoon (5th) for a glassy but tiny session, and the clear winner is Sunday morning (6th) for a clean, fun-sized swell. After that, it's back to waiting.

Rusty.

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