Surf Forecasts:
The Reef surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, ESE swell with 765 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period with E 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Reef in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 6 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 61 | 60 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 28 | 46 | 73 | 53 | 89 | 176 | 146 | 164 | 131 | 211 | 613 | 744 | 547 | 497 | 533 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 8:03PM2.00m | 8:21AM1.42m | 8:45PM1.95m | 9:05AM1.49m | 9:24PM1.85m | 9:48AM1.52m | 10:01PM1.70m | 10:32AM1.51m | 10:36PM1.53m | 11:17AM1.48m | 11:10PM1.35m | 12:08PM1.43m | 11:44PM1.17m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:36AM0.15m | 2:14PM0.09m | 3:13AM0.14m | 3:01PM0.14m | 3:49AM0.16m | 3:47PM0.24m | 4:24AM0.20m | 4:33PM0.36m | 4:58AM0.25m | 5:22PM0.50m | 5:33AM0.30m | 6:19PM0.63m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | | |  |  | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | — | 1 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
Temp °C | 19 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 8 | E 10 | E 13 | — | — | — | ESE 13 |
| kJ | 61 | 60 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 4 | — | — | — | 16 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | SSE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 9 | NE 8 | E 8 | — | E 16 | E 15 | E 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 15 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 3 | E 10 | SSE 7 | NE 7 | NE 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | E 16 | — | — | E 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 3 | SW 3 | SSE 2 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | — | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 46 | 73 | 53 | 89 | 176 | 146 | 164 | 131 | 211 | 613 | 744 | 547 | 497 | 533 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 17 | 0 | 13 | 45 | 13 | 159 | 159 | 95 | 159 | 738 | 45 | 159 | 45 | 45 | 475 | 212 | 159 | 45 | 159 | 45 |
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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