Slade Bay/Boot Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Slade Bay/Boot Reef (reef). It’s a pretty quiet picture for the next couple of weeks, so don’t be expectin’ any fireworks just yet.

We start off on Sunday the 12th with a tiny 0.3ft SW groundswell, period a very long 16 seconds. The water is a toasty 68°, which is a massive 8° above normal – that’s seriously unusual, feels like a warm bath out there. But the energy is weak (30), and that’s all we’ve got. The whole first week is a write-off, honestly. Through Monday the 13th, Tuesday the 14th, Wednesday the 15th, Thursday the 16th, Friday the 17th, and Saturday the 18th, we’re lookin’ at flat nothingness – swell heights barely ticklin’ 0.3ft to 1ft, with poor surf conditions. There’s a glassy moment on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon, but not enough swell to push a leaf. That’s a solid 7 days of no-go.

The second week doesn’t get much better. Sunday the 19th through Wednesday the 22nd, it’s still tiny, mostly 0.3ft to 1.0ft, with a few 3ft to 3ft pulses on the 21st and 22nd. The energy on the 22nd hits 64 and 61 in the morning and afternoon, but that’s still weak. Winds are messy, mostly cross or cross-off, so don’t get your hopes up.

Now, Thursday the 23rd morning, we finally see a little flicker. A 3ft W swell with a short 6-second period, offshore N wind, clean. The energy is 90 (weak) and the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s a score of 1 – nothin’ to write home about, but it’s the first real possibility. That’s the only half-decent window in the near term, but it’s still a shadow of what this reef can do.

The real story, and the only standout in this whole 16-day run, is on Monday the 27th of July. That’s a long way out, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the numbers are eye-waterin’. We’ve got a 10ft WSW swell, period 9 seconds, with the combined energy at a massive 2358 – that’s very strong. The morning is glassy, dead calm, with ENE wind at 0 mph. The break is a reef, so that long period groundswell will be lined up nicely. The comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and a score of 4. That’s the one to circle on your calendar. It’s a bit of a beast, over 8ft, so this is strictly for the crew who know what they’re doin’. The afternoon sees the size drop to 8ft but the wind goes cross, so the morning is the window.

Monday the 27th morning – that’s your best bet. Everything else is a flat, wind-affected mess until then. You’ll be waitin’ a long time, but that one session looks like it’ll be worth the patience.

Rusty.

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