Riet River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Riet River. This is a point break that’s inconsistent, so when it does fire, you gotta be on it. The water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.

The first real window of opportunity hits us on Sunday, the 30th of August. We’ve got a solid 6ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a 10-second period. The wind is a light 9 mph cross-off from the SW, which is going to keep the faces clean. The combined energy is moderate at 677 (moderate wave energy). It’s not huge, but it’s clean and the point will be offering up some proper lines. That’s the best on offer early on.

The next morning, Monday the 31st, the swell drops a touch to 5ft from the same SSW direction, but the period stretches to 11 seconds. The wind stays light and cross-off. It’s still good, but it’s a step down from Sunday. By Monday afternoon, the wind swings around and the quality drops off.

Now, get this. Tuesday the 1st of September morning looks like a real standout. The swell picks back up to 5ft, also from the SSW, with a very nice 12-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is a dreamy 6 mph cross-off from the SW again. The energy is moderate at 650 (moderate wave energy). This is the cleanest, most lined-up surf of the early window. I’d be calling in sick for that one.

After that, things get messy. By Wednesday the 2nd, the swell jumps to 10ft from the SSW with a 14-second period, which is a lot of energy (3040 – strong wave energy). But the wind is onshore from the ESE, making it a washed-out, poor quality mess. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s not going to be pretty. The wind just gets worse from there, with a big blow coming through Thursday and Friday. There’s a massive 15ft SSE swell on the 4th, but with 25 mph cross-onshore winds, it’s straight up dangerous and ugly. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There’s a long stretch of poor conditions from the 2nd of September right through until the 10th. We’re talking over a week of blown-out, messy, or just tiny surf. The wind is either howling onshore or just in the wrong direction for this break.

Things start to look interesting again on Friday the 11th of September. It’s a tiny 2ft SSW swell, but with a very long 15-second period. The wind is dead calm, glassy. The energy is weak at 148 (weak wave energy), but with a point break, that long period will wrap in nicely for some super clean, peelable waves. It’s a rare, glassy moment.

The weekend of the 12th and 13th sees another pulse of swell, but it’s hampered by onshore winds, so keep your expectations low. Then on Monday the 14th of September, we get a 3ft SSW swell with a massive 17-second period. The wind is a clean 16 mph cross-off. The energy is moderate at 722 (moderate wave energy). This is a very long period groundswell, which will be perfect for this point. It’s a promising, long-range bet, but we’re in the second week, so it’s less certain.

Overall, the standout morning is Tuesday the 1st of September. The glassy session on Friday the 11th is a special bonus if you like empty, clean waves. The crowds are a possibility at this spot, but with the inconsistency, you’ll often have it to yourself.

Rusty.

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