Third Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up for Third Reef. The opening days look pretty average, but there are a couple of windows where it could clean up nicely.

The week kicks off Monday, August 3rd, with a lumpy 6 ft NW swell pushing through. The morning is a write-off with that cross-onshore breeze messing things up. But Monday afternoon the wind drops to glassy, and that same 6 ft NW swell (10-second period) will turn on. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is about normal for this time of year. The wave energy is moderate (748). This afternoon session is your first real stand-out.

Tuesday the 4th sees the swell drop to 5 ft from the NW, period down to 9 seconds. The morning has a clean cross-off breeze, but the afternoon goes glassy. Both sessions are clean and surfable, though the energy drops to 411 and then 355. Decent, not epic.

Wednesday the 5th is smaller again at 4 ft NW, period down to 8 seconds. Morning is clean, afternoon is glassy. Surfable but on the small side. Energy is weak (280-271).

Thursday the 6th drops right off to 2 ft from the SW with a long 13-second period. The morning is pretty poor, and the afternoon is just ordinary. This is a real gap in the quality.

Friday the 7th shows a bit of a rebound to 3 ft-4 ft NW, but the morning is choppy with a cross-on breeze. The afternoon goes glassy though, and the energy picks up to 366. That afternoon window is worth a look.

From Saturday the 8th all the way through to Friday the 14th, it’s a long stretch of poor surf. The swell bumps up and down between 5 ft and 7 ft from the NW, but the wind is relentless cross-onshore, making it choppy and lumpy. The energy is moderate to strong (500-900 range), but the conditions are just not good for a clean wave. This is a big gap with no real recommendations.

Saturday the 15th brings a change. A new, very long-period SSW swell (18 seconds) arrives at 2 ft in the morning, but it’s small. The afternoon sees it rise to 3 ft with the period at 16 seconds, and the wind goes glassy. The energy is strong at 790. This is your second real stand-out – a clean, glassy afternoon with a long period groundswell. Because the period is so long (over 15 seconds), this swell will be best for the reef, as it can break a bit straight on a beach.

Sunday the 16th through Tuesday the 18th stays small with SSW to W swells around 2 ft to 3 ft. The periods are long (13-16 seconds). Winds are light and mostly cross or cross-on, so the quality is marginal, but Tuesday the 18th afternoon glass-off offers one more clean shot at 3 ft from the W with moderate energy (604).

Best on offer: Monday afternoon, August 3rd, for that solid 6 ft NW swell in glassy conditions. And Saturday afternoon, August 15th, for a clean, long-period SSW swell that will really suit the reef.

Rusty.

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