Surf Forecasts:
The Reef surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, SE swell with 1,006 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Reef this week:
The surf forecast for The Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Reef in the next 16 days are 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 22) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Wed afternoon, light winds from the NNW by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NNE 4 | SE 20 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NNE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 41 | 526 | 1006 | 505 | 325 | 306 | 134 | 122 | 105 | 88 | 79 | 35 | 23 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 28 | 32 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 11:32AM1.51m | 10:52PM1.11m | 12:27PM1.44m | 11:28PM0.96m | 1:37PM1.39m | 00:33AM0.84m | 2:53PM1.39m | 2:47AM0.79m | 3:57PM1.44m | 4:21AM0.86m | 4:45PM1.52m | 5:14AM0.97m | 5:24PM1.60m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:52PM0.68m | 5:16AM0.34m | 7:07PM0.75m | 5:58AM0.41m | 8:50PM0.75m | 6:57AM0.48m | 10:24PM0.67m | 8:16AM0.52m | 11:13PM0.57m | 9:32AM0.52m | 11:44PM0.47m | 10:32AM0.48m | 00:10AM0.38m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:45 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — |
 | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 20 |
Feels °C | 16 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | E 13 | — | E 11 | E 16 | E 12 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NNE 4 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NNE 4 |
| kJ | 41 | 3 | — | 2 | 5 | 3 | 134 | 122 | 105 | 88 | 79 | 35 | 23 | 16 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 13 | — | NE 11 | — | E 16 | E 15 | E 15 | NE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 8 | NNE 4 | E 8 | SE 8 | SE 20 | E 18 | E 8 | SE 7 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 4 | — | 5 | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | — | — | — | E 16 | — | E 12 | E 14 | S 20 | — | — | E 12 | E 8 | NE 11 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 10 | SE 13 | NE 10 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 3 | 4 | 8 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 2 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | — | — | — | WNW 2 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | — | NE 4 | WNW 3 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | — | — | NE 4 |
| kJ | 2 | 526 | 1006 | 505 | 325 | 306 | — | — | — | 1 | 10 | 19 | — | 3 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 32 | — | — | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 45 | 1472 | 428 | 12 | 475 | 12 | 1 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 295 | 0 | 94 | 199 | 149 | 163 | 653 | 149 | 159 | 159 | 159 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sunshine Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the The Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Reef surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Reef) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Reef may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
The Reef is 2 km (1 miles) from Caloundra. If you plan a holiday in Sunshine Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Caloundra. Caloundra has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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