Riet River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up at Riet River over the next couple of weeks.

The forecast kicks off this Friday the 17th, and straight away we’ve got some solid, powerful SW groundswell hitting an exposed point break. The water is sitting at 63°, which is a whopping 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a seriously cold anomaly, so you’ll be reaching for the thickest wetsuit. The energy is pumping with a combined swell energy reading of 3957, which is strong.

Friday morning sees a 8 ft SW swell (12 sec period) with a moderate cross-offshore breeze keeping things clean. The crowd factor is listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it’s a long point break. The standout for the whole forecast, though, is Thursday the 23rd. Clear skies, a slight air, and an 12 ft SW swell (12 sec) with a combined energy of 3878. The wind is a light cross-offshore, making it glassy. This is expert territory at that size, but the conditions are absolutely excellent.

Saturday the 18th drops back to 4 ft, still clean but much smaller. Sunday the 19th gets messy with a 25 mph cross-offshore wind and a dropping period, so that’s a write-off. Monday the 20th has a 6 ft SW swell but with a cross-shore wind, not ideal.

Now, look out for Wednesday the 22nd. It’s glassy in the morning with an 8 ft SW groundswell (13 sec) and a combined energy of 2360. That’s a quiet, clean session for experienced surfers on a mid-week morning. Thursday the 23rd is the absolute peak as I mentioned, with that 12 ft swell and glassy conditions.

Friday the 24th is another beauty: 8 ft SSW groundswell, glassy, combined energy of 2573. From the 25th to the 27th, the swell is massive – 10 ft to 18 ft – but the wind is strong and cross-offshore, or even cross-onshore by the 27th. The 27th is a total write-off with poor surf conditions and a combined energy of nearly 10,000; that’s just a washing machine for experts only, and even then, questionable.

The first week of August sees a drop in size, with 5 ft to 8 ft swells and glassy mornings, but the period drops off. It’s a good end to the run, but not the standout.

So, the best on offer is crystal clear: Thursday the 23rd, dawn patrol. 12 ft SW, glassy cross-offshore, clean, and powerful. Wednesday the 22nd and Friday the 24th are also serious contenders. Remember, Riet River is an inconsistent point break, but when it fires like this, it’s a proper session. There’s a three-day gap of poor conditions from the 27th to the 29th, but the 28th and 29th actually clean up nicely with a new swell direction.

Rusty out.

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