Ricks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Ricks Reef over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but there are some clean windows worth paddling out for.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a wait. The first decent chance doesn’t roll in until Sunday, September 13th. That’s a couple of days of flat or marginal dribble to sit through. But once we hit Sunday morning, things start to look real nice. We’ve got a small but clean 3ft swell rolling in from the ENE, with a solid 13-second period on it. That’s proper groundswell, and with glassy conditions and a slight air, it’ll be as smooth as it gets. The combined energy is moderate at 237. This is a classic low-crowd, clean-reef morning for the advanced crew.

Sunday afternoon holds up too – still glassy, still clean, with 3ft from the ENE. A risk of thunderstorms, but if you’re in the water when they’re brewing, the air can get that weird electric feel. Cool, if you’re into that.

Monday the 14th gets a little lumpy with a cross-onshore breeze, so the quality drops off. Nothing special. Tuesday the 15th though – that’s the standout. Tuesday morning is where I’d be pointing my board. We’ve got a bump in size to 3ft from the ENE, 13-second period, glassy as a mirror. The combined energy climbs to 362 – solid moderate energy with real push. This is the pick of the forecast. Tuesday afternoon is still clean with 2ft from the same direction, another glassy session.

Then we hit a wall. From Wednesday the 16th all the way through to the 22nd, it’s mostly onshore slop, cross-onshore chop, and poor conditions. Windy, lumpy, and not worth your time. There are a few mornings with cross-off winds and clean faces around the 20th, but the swell is short-period and small. If you’re desperate, Sunday the 20th morning has 3ft from the north with clean cross-off breeze – could be a sneaky little session.

After that, the last week of September into early October looks pretty grim. The swell drops right off, and the wind stays fresh to strong. The 23rd and 24th see a bit more size – 5ft to 5ft – but it’s short-period windswell at 6 seconds, and the wind is howling at 22-25 mph. That’s not surfable for a paddle board; it’s more of a kite-surfing kind of setup. The combined energy on the 24th morning is 317, but it’s messy and blown out.

Water temp is sitting at a warm 85°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no need for a spring suit.

So to sum it up: the clear winner is Tuesday, September 15th. Get out there early for the cleanest, juiciest waves. Sunday the 13th is a close second. After that, you’re gambling on a few clean pockets between the wind. It’s not a total write-off, but you gotta pick your moments.

Rusty.

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