Ricks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Ricks Reef. This is a tricky one, and if you’re looking at the next 16 days, you’re going to need a whole lot of patience. The outlook starts with nothing but frustration.

Right now, for the first week, it’s a write-off. From Saturday the 5th right through to Friday the 11th of September, the surf is poor. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, chopping up the weak, short-period swell that’s trying to roll in. The combined energy is mostly in the low to mid 200s to low 300s (moderate), but the wind ruins it. You’d be fighting a mess. There is a week-long gap of no real recommendations here.

The real hope kicks off Saturday the 12th of September. We start to see a shift. The swell direction swings around to the ENE, which is on the money for what this place wants. On Saturday morning, the wind is light and cross-shore, and the combined energy hits 416 (moderate), but the waves are still marginal at 3 ft. It’s just not quite happening yet.

Then, Sunday the 13th of September is where it gets interesting. We get light offshore winds from the SSE on the morning, swinging to SE in the afternoon. The swell is 3 ft from the ENE with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a nice little groundswell. The water temperature is about 85°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The combined energy is in the 360s (moderate), and the sea surface is clean. This is the standout window of the whole forecast. It’s small, but super clean. Perfect for a longboard or a fish if you’re an advanced surfer. The crowds can be *sometimes* here, so you might have a few others out, especially with conditions this good for the size.

Monday the 14th of September keeps the clean energy going in the morning with cross-offshore wind from the ESE, though conditions slip back to marginal in the afternoon. Tuesday the 15th of September looks good again in the morning, with clean lines and light cross-offshore wind. The pulse continues through Wednesday the 16th of September, with light offshore winds from the SE, producing clean 3 ft surf from the ENE. The combined energy drops a bit from the 330s down to 230 (moderate), but the quality is still there.

After Wednesday, the swell starts to fade. Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th still offer clean, offshore winds, but the energy drops into the low 100s and the wave heights slip below 3 ft. By Saturday the 19th, it’s glassy but tiny at 2 ft, with combined energy under 100 (weak). The run ends with very small, weak surf through the 20th.

So, to be honest, the first week is a blank. The standout by a long shot is the Sunday and Monday window (13th and 14th of September) with those clean, offshore conditions and a little bit of long-period ENE groundswell. It’s not going to be big, but for a reef break that’s inconsistent, it’s about as good as this 16-day stretch gets.

- Rusty

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