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The Reef Surf Forecast
/ QLD – Sunshine Coast (38 breaks) / Queensland (74 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
The Reef surfForecast / QLD – Sunshine Coast / Australia
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 9 pm Saturday 23 May 2026 AESTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
The Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's The Reef sea temperature is
22.5° C
(Which is slightly cooler than normal)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 Tuesday (May 26) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Reef in the next 16 days are 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Sunday (May 24) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 26th May) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 27th May) | 6ft (1.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 24th May) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 19°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Sat night, light winds from the ESE by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wednesday 27 | Thursday 28 | Friday 29 | Sat 30 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | |
4600 | 3588 | 1578 | 1081 | 955 | 1072 | 1064 | 984 | 882 | 1082 | 1082 | 960 | 819 | 683 | 469 | 331 | 255 | 200 | 160 | 113 | 113 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | |
High Tide | 2:33AM1.61m | 3:14PM1.23m | 3:31AM1.55m | 4:15PM1.34m | 4:23AM1.49m | 5:07PM1.46m | 5:07AM1.45m | 5:52PM1.57m | 5:47AM1.41m | 6:33PM1.67m | 6:25AM1.37m | 7:12PM1.74m | 7:01AM1.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:15AM0.48m | 8:59PM0.53m | 10:03AM0.44m | 10:07PM0.55m | 10:45AM0.40m | 11:06PM0.55m | 11:22AM0.36m | 11:59PM0.55m | 11:57AM0.32m | 00:46AM0.54m | 12:30PM0.28m | 1:30AM0.54m | 1:05PM0.25m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | |  | |  | |  | | | |  | | |  | | |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — |
 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 |
— | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | — | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
 kJ | 2781 | 2204 | — | 1081 | 955 | 1072 | 1064 | 984 | 882 | 1082 | 1082 | 960 | 819 | 683 | 469 | 331 | 255 | 200 | 160 | 113 | 113 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | N 5 | N 5 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | NNE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | NE 8 | NE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | N 4 | — | NE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | N 5 | WSW 3 | WSW 2 | W 2 | W 3 | WSW 3 | SSW 2 |
| kJ | 4600 | 3588 | 1578 | 788 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 153 | 159 | 45 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sunshine Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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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