Seaford Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s headed our way over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’m going to be straight with you—this is a tough stretch. The entire 16-day window is a write-off for decent surf. There’s not a single session in there that gets the nod. We’re looking at a long, flat, and messy run with no real standouts. The only spot on the radar is Seaford Reef, and it’s a sheltered reef break that’s inconsistent and best for beginners, but it just doesn’t fire during this period.

For the first week, from Friday the 7th of August right through to Thursday the 13th, it’s pretty grim. The swell is tiny most of the time, often under 2 ft, and when it does bump up to around 5 ft on Sunday the 9th morning, the wind is a messy cross-shore with a fresh breeze, creating lumpy cross-chop. The combined energy is moderate (161), but it’s poor quality. That afternoon, the wind cranks onshore at 34 mph with an 12 ft swell, but that’s a near gale and totally blown out. The water temperature is around 57°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The middle of the week gets worse. Tuesday the 11th has a 5 ft swell but strong cross-shore winds at 25 mph, making it a total mess. Wednesday the 12th sees an 8 ft swell in the morning, but it’s onshore and strong, with the combined energy jumping to 696—that’s strong wave energy—but it’s not for paddling. At 12 ft that afternoon, it’s only for experts, and even then, the wind is horrible. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The second week doesn’t offer any hope. From Friday the 14th through to Saturday the 22nd, we’ve got days of flat, weak swell. There’s a moment on Saturday the 15th morning with glassy conditions, but the swell is just 1 ft—barely a ripple. The longest period we see is 15 to 16 seconds on the 18th and 19th, which is very long period groundswell, but it’s only 0.3 ft. That’s not enough to push through. The combined energy values are all in the single digits, like 14 or 8, meaning weak energy. Even the clean offshore winds on the 18th and 19th can’t do anything with it.

The only flicker of life comes late on Friday the 21st afternoon, when a 5 ft WSW swell shows up with a light breeze and clean conditions. The combined energy is 135, which is moderate, and the score is a 1 out of 10—surfable but very ordinary. It’s not enough to call a standout, but it’s the best of a bad bunch.

We’ve got a massive gap of dead days here. This is one of those blank runs where the forecasts might change, but as it stands, I’d leave the board at home.

Rusty.

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