Third Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks at Third Reef. It’s a mixed bag, and honestly, for the first stretch, you’re going to be scratching for anything decent. The opening days are pretty average, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel if you’re willing to wait it out.

The early part of the week is looking messy. Monday the 10th has some cross-onshore wind and a bit of chop, with a 7ft NW swell but short 8-second period. It’s not going to be pretty. Tuesday is similar, with conditions actually rating as poor. The wind stays up and the swell drops slightly to 5ft. Wednesday looks worse with moderate cross-onshore winds making it choppy. Thursday and Friday bring smaller surf, but the wind lightens up, which helps. It’s still marginal, but at least it’s not a washing machine.

The first real standout comes on Saturday the 15th in the afternoon. The swell drops to a clean 3ft, but the period jumps up to 16 seconds and the wind goes glassy. That’s the kind of change that makes you sit up. The wave energy is moderate at 630, but it's clean. This is the best of the first week and it’s not even close. It’s a real window of opportunity, but it’s short-lived.

Sunday the 16th holds similar swell but the glass is gone, with light cross-onshore winds, making it just okay. Then from Monday the 17th through Wednesday the 19th, it’s a poor run. The wind is up, the surf is small and messy, and honestly, you might be better off doing something else. The swell energy is weak during this period.

Now, here’s the thing. The back half of the forecast has a more promising push, but it’s far out, so don't book your flights yet. Around Thursday the 20th, a new WNW swell starts to show, and while the morning is still cross-onshore, the afternoon turns glassy again with a 5ft swell. That’s a good sign. The following morning, Friday the 21st, looks like the pick of the bunch. We’ve got a 4ft WNW swell, a 10-second period, and light cross-offshore winds. That’s your cleanest, most lined-up window of the whole period. This is a reef break, and it’s exposed to that WNW direction, so it should handle it well. *Third Reef* is fairly consistent, but the real quality is going to be in that Friday morning session. It’s a long way out, though, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed.

After that, it fades. Saturday the 22nd has a small glassy morning with 4ft, but it’s weak. From Sunday the 23rd onward, it’s all downhill. Small, weak, mostly poor surf with light winds. The combined energy drops to weak levels, like 131-331. There’s nothing that will get your heart racing in that final week.

So, here’s the bottom line: the first week is a grind, with that Saturday afternoon looking the best of a bad bunch. The second week has a real window of opportunity around Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st, but it’s a long-range call. Keep your expectations in check, but don’t write it off entirely.

Rusty.

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