Seaside Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you – the outlook for Seaside Reef over the next 16 days is a tough one. The water’s running at 72°F right now, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, a solid 5°F above average. But that’s about the only thing that’s pumping. We’ve got a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions, and no real standout days that’ll get your heart racing. The first recommendation doesn’t pop up until the 19th, so there’s a big gap of nearly a week of nothing worth paddling out for.

From Saturday the 11th through to the 18th, it’s a real struggle. The swell hangs around the 1ft to 4ft range, mostly from the SSW or SW, with periods that are all over the place – some short 8-second junk, some long 18-second groundswell. The energy figures are weak to moderate (75 to 512), and the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, keeping things messy. A few sessions have “light cross-onshore with small wind ripples,” which is just a polite way of saying it’s not clean. For an advanced reef break that’s inconsistent at the best of times, this is a write-off. If you’re a kiter, maybe the choppier days with some swell could be fun, but for a surfer? Nah.

Now, the 19th of July is where things get a little interesting. That Sunday morning, we’ve got a 4ft S swell, period 12 seconds, and the energy bumps up to 772 – moderate but noticeable. The wind is light and cross-on from the WSW, so it’s not glassy, but it’s not terrible either. The catch is this is a marginal forecast, with questionable tide, and the break is inconsistent and rarely breaks. Still, for a reef that needs a specific direction – it likes W swell – the S direction is a bit off. The afternoon looks a bit better with a 3ft SW swell at 17 seconds and light onshore wind from the W, energy slightly lower at 671. It’s the best we’ve got in the whole window, but it’s not a standout. Expect crowds to be likely – it’s a known spot and often busy.

Moving into the 20th and 21st, the swell holds around 3ft to 4ft, mostly from the SSW with periods of 15 to 16 seconds. The energy is moderate (448 to 652), but the wind is onshore from the W, strengthening to 12 mph on the 21st afternoon. The surf is still poor to marginal. The 22nd and 23rd see the swell drop back to 2ft to 3ft, with cross-on winds again. Nothing to write home about.

The 25th of July is worth a mention, but it’s a long way out. The morning has a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a very long 21-second period – that’s proper groundswell. Energy is low at 416 though. The afternoon is the real tease: 4ft SW swell, 20-second period, and energy rockets up to 1040 – strong wave energy. The wind is light from the W, onshore. This could be promising, but it’s a week and a half away, so treat it with caution. The 26th follows with similar 3ft to 4ft SW swell, 18-second period, and energy around 743 to 921, with light cross-on or onshore winds. Still marginal.

So, the only real window to keep an eye on is the 19th and maybe the 25th-26th, but don’t get your hopes up. This is a quiet run for the area, and it’s normal for it to be this inconsistent. The forecasts can change, but for now, I’d say leave the board at home for most of it.

Rusty.

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