Third Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's talk turkey. I've been studying the long-range for the next couple of weeks, and it's going to be a test of patience. There are a couple of diamonds in the rough, but you're going to have to sift through a lot of sand to find them.

We have a big lull in the middle of the period where you can pretty much forget about it, so plan your life around that. The first window has a few decent options, but you have to be in the right place at the right time.

Here’s how it breaks down.

Tuesday, September 8th is weak. We're looking at a 0.7m SSW swell, but the cross-on wind puts a bad texture on it at Third Reef. The energy is weak at 241. Water temp is 60°F, so pretty standard for the season.

The morning of Wednesday the 9th is a no-go, but the afternoon is our first real taste of hope. The wind turns glassy from the WNW, the wave period jumps up to 19 seconds, and the energy bumps to 439. This is a proper groundswell, and on this reef, those long lines will have some push. Still small, but clean.

Thursday the 10th follows the same script. A bit rough in the morning, but the afternoon is the pick of the first run. Glassy conditions, a 1.0m SW swell with a 17-second period, and the energy is a solid 831. This is the one to circle.

Now for the bad news. Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are ruined by fresh onshore winds, turning any swell into a choppy, lumpy mess. Don't even think about it.

Sunday the 13th has another interesting afternoon. The wind goes glassy from the N, and the swell pushes to 1.4m, but the period drops to a short 9 seconds and the direction swings to the NW. It’s a windswell, so it will be less organized, but with clean conditions, there will be waves to ride.

Monday the 14th is a trap. A bigger, wind-blown NW swell with howling onshore winds will just be a blown-out mess. This starts a poor stretch that runs through the 16th. The swells are all onshore winds and the surf quality is just poor.

We get a tiny tease on the morning of Thursday the 17th – glassy winds and a long 21-second period, but the swell is tiny at just 0.4m. A perfect score with nothing to play. The next several days are more of the same, with small SW swells and onshore winds keeping the surface a mess.

So, the true standouts in this whole 16-day window are the afternoon sessions on Thursday the 10th and maybe Sunday the 13th. They're not big, but they will be clean and have some energy. For a spot that can handle a good swell, it’s a case of waiting for the wind to cooperate. It won't stay flat forever; this area has too much character for that.

Rusty out.

Read more