Riet River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The water’s a bit nippy at 64°, a solid 4° colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good spring suit at Riet River.

The first real action kicks off Thursday morning, 23 July. Riet River is a classic point break southwest of the river mouth, exposed to the SSW swell. Thursday morning delivers a clean 6ft SSW swell with a 12-second period, a gentle offshore breeze tidying it up, and the combined energy is pumping hard at 1580. It’s a solid, clean wave, but at this size, it’s more for experienced surfers – beginners might be a little over their heads.

The standout window is Saturday morning, 25 July. Glassy conditions, a 7ft SSW swell with a 14-second period, and the energy is at 1797. That’s a proper long-period groundswell, and at a point break like Riet River, it’ll set up some nice, lined-up rides. The wind is dead calm – dead glass – so it’s going to be clean as a whistle. Just keep in mind, the spot is inconsistent, so it could be a bit of a wait between sets, but when they come, they’ll be worth it.

Friday afternoon, 24 July, sees a big pulse: 12ft SSW swell, 16-second period, massive energy at 5395. That’s a serious amount of water moving. But the wind is a light cross-shore, so it’s clean enough for experts. Anything over 8ft is expert territory, and this is well above that. Not one for the faint-hearted.

The window from the 28th to the 30th has some size too, but the wind gets messy. Tuesday morning, 28 July, has a 5ft SSW swell with a 16-second period and 2625 energy, but a cross-onshore wind makes it choppy. The morning of 30 July, though, is a bright spot: glassy conditions, 5ft SSW swell, 13-second period, and 1704 energy. That’s another clean, high-quality opportunity for experienced surfers.

After the 31st, the swell drops off sharply. The first week of August sees very little to get excited about – small, weak swells and mostly poor conditions. There’s a bit of a pulse on the 6th of August, with a 6ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and 1368 energy, paired with a gentle offshore breeze. That’s a promising but distant call – two weeks out, so keep an eye on it.

Bottom line: Saturday morning, 25 July, is your absolute peak – glassy, solid groundswell, and a point break that can handle it. Thursday morning, 23 July, and Thursday morning, 30 July, are your next best bets for clean, powerful waves. The rest is either too big and messy or too small.

Rusty.

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