Seaford Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but the surf is pretty much a no-show for almost the entire run. We’ve got a long gap of days with nothing worth paddling out for, so don't get your hopes up too early.

The only spot in the game is Seaford Reef. It’s a sheltered reef break, best for beginners, but it’s also inconsistent, so it doesn’t fire often. The water is sitting at 58° – pretty much normal for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

For the first week, from Monday, 20 July right through to the end of the month, the conditions are just poor. We’re talking tiny swell, mostly 0.3ft to 3ft, with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind. The wind is often moderate to fresh, making things choppy and messy. The combined swell energy is weak, mostly in the single or low double digits (e.g. 13, 15, 11, 22) – just not enough push to get a decent ride. The wave period is short, often around 4 seconds, so even if there was a little bump, it’d be weak and crumbly. There’s nothing here for a surfer.

We finally see a tiny glimmer on Wednesday, 29 July. The morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNE, and a 0.7ft swell from the WSW. By the afternoon, it goes glassy with a 3ft NNW swell – the combined energy jumps to 36, which is still weak but it’s the best we’ve seen. Still, the period is just 4 seconds, so it’s a short, weak windswell. It’s not really surfable, but it’s the closest to a flat spell we get.

Thursday, 30 July, the morning looks clean again with a cross-offshore breeze and a 3ft NW swell – the combined energy hits 45. Again, the period is only 4 seconds. It’s a clean, small wave, but it’s not going to give you much of a ride.

The only real standout – and I use that term loosely – comes on Saturday, 1 August. The morning has a fresh cross-offshore breeze from the north, and the swell bumps up to 5ft from the west, with a period of 5 seconds. The combined energy finally cracks three digits at 109, which is moderate energy. The wind is offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the swell is still a short-period windswell. For a sheltered reef, this might actually offer a few fun, if weak, waves. It’s the best on offer, but it’s a long way off, so keep an eye on the charts. The afternoon sees the swell drop to 4ft with a cross-shore wind, so the morning is the pick.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums with strong onshore winds and tiny, weak swell through the first week of August. The combined energy drops to 25 or less, and it’s all messy and lumpy. Not worth the drive.

So, to sum it up: the entire 16-day window is poor. There’s a huge gap of days with no real surf. The only window that might offer a wave is the morning of Saturday, 1 August, with a 5ft clean swell from the west at Seaford Reef. It’s promising but uncertain this far out. For now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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