Third Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks at Third Reef.

We’re kicking off a pretty slow run, to be honest. The first week is a bit of a grind with weak, onshore-affected swell and a lot of marginal conditions. The real standout isn’t until the second week, so we’ve got some patience to practice.

Things start off on Wednesday, September 2nd with a small 2ft groundswell from the SW. The period is very long at 18 seconds, but with a cross-off wind and a combined energy of 438 (moderate), it’s just a bit messy. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about 2° cooler than average for this time of year, so not a huge anomaly, but a touch nippy.

Thursday the 3rd morning shows a little more push with a 3ft SW groundswell (19 sec period) and a light cross wind, the energy jumps to 1005 (strong). It’s still a bit questionable though. The real size shows up Thursday afternoon with a 6ft WNW swell, but the period is short at 10 seconds, and the wind is onshore. That’s 840 (strong) energy, but the wind is going to ruin it.

Friday morning the 4th has a 3ft SSW groundswell (18 sec) with a cross-on breeze. Energy is strong at 1147 (strong), but we’re still fighting that wind direction. That pattern of light cross-on winds and marginal surf drags on through the weekend and into the start of the next week. There’s a bit of a lull here with a few days of poor surf conditions, so don’t get your hopes up for the first Saturday or Sunday.

The real standout is Monday, September 14th. We finally get a glassy morning with a 3ft NW swell (12 seconds) and a combined energy of 411 (moderate). The wind is dead calm, glassy. That’s the window. Then Monday afternoon, the swell bumps up to 5ft from the NW, still glassy, and the energy rockets to 914 (strong). This is the best on offer. The swell direction (NW) is a perfect match for the optimum WNW direction for this reef. That afternoon session is the one to circle.

Tuesday, September 15th is also a solid shout. A 7ft NW swell rolls in with glassy conditions in the afternoon. The period is a bit short at 8 seconds, but the energy is 635 (strong) and the conditions will be clean. This is great for intermediate to advanced surfers, but 7ft is getting a bit big for beginners.

The tail end of the forecast, around Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th, keeps a similar 5ft to 7ft NW swell going, but the wind is a light cross-on or onshore, so it won’t be as clean as Monday or Tuesday. Still, the energy is there (up to 932 on Thursday afternoon), so it could be worth a look if you’re desperate.

Keep in mind, this is a reef break, so those long period SW swells (like 18-19 seconds) we saw early on are better suited here than at a beach break. The long waits between sets will make paddling out easier, but the wave shape will be solid.

Rusty.

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