Surf Forecasts:
Third Reef surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, NW swell with 910 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 13s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Third Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Third Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Third Reef in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 13s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Third Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about the surf outlook for Third Reef over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, there's a bit of a slow start. The first few days are a write-off. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are pretty much flat with poor, choppy conditions. Don't bother paddling out. The good news is, things start to look up from Friday afternoon.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Friday afternoon, the 7th of August. The wind goes glassy, and we get a tiny 1ft SSW groundswell with a period of 18 seconds. The energy is weak (312), but those clean conditions mean it could be a fun, small wave session on a longboard.
The real action, however, is lurking in the middle of the window. We have a solid pulse of NW swell building through the weekend of the 9th and 10th. By Monday the 10th, we're looking at a 7ft to 8ft NW swell, with strong wave energy (1250 to 1583). That's a lot of power. The period is 9 seconds, which is a bit short and will be a bit crumbly, but the size is there. The wind is cross-on, so it won't be perfectly clean, but it's a serious session for experienced surfers only. An 8ft swell is expert territory, so beginners should stay well clear.
The standout period, and what I'd call the best on offer, happens around Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th of August. We get a 6ft to 5ft NW swell, which is a much more manageable size for intermediate surfers, and the wind drops to glassy. The wave energy is moderate (651 to 630). The combination of that size with perfect, glassy conditions will make for some really clean, fun waves. That's your window.
The second week continues to have some solid windows. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th of August look promising with a 3ft to 4ft SSW groundswell, a period of 16 seconds, and glassy conditions again. The energy is moderate (635 to 703). This is a classic, clean, long-period swell that will be super fun. Late in the week, on Wednesday the 19th, we see a 5ft WNW swell, but the wind is cross-on, so it's a more marginal call.
Overall, after a rough start, this forecast has some real gems. The 5ft to 6ft glassy windows on the 12th, 13th, 15th, and 16th are your best bets. The big 8ft NW swell on the 10th is for the experts only. The water is about average for the time of year, not feeling any different from usual.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 85 | 113 | 80 | 133 | 133 | 237 | 336 | 244 | 398 | 555 | 402 | 703 | 895 | 388 | 447 | 571 | 450 | 447 | 447 | 589 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 5:24PM1.94m | 7:52AM1.15m | 6:25PM2.00m | 9:17AM1.22m | 7:32PM2.07m | 10:17AM1.32m | 8:38PM2.14m | 11:04AM1.42m | 9:40PM2.20m | 11:46AM1.52m | 10:37PM2.21m | 12:25PM1.62m | 11:32PM2.16m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:04AM0.09m | 11:43AM0.93m | 2:13AM-0.06m | 12:59PM1.00m | 3:17AM-0.21m | 2:19PM1.00m | 4:13AM-0.33m | 3:32PM0.93m | 5:03AM-0.38m | 4:37PM0.81m | 5:48AM-0.37m | 5:34PM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 28 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NW 9 | NW 9 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 18 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 |
| kJ | 85 | 113 | 57 | 79 | 80 | 237 | 240 | 146 | 263 | 196 | 167 | 402 | 427 | 92 | 102 | 58 | 209 | 447 | 447 | 589 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NW 5 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | NW 10 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 21 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SW 14 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 23 | 13 | 80 | 133 | 133 | 65 | 21 | 53 | 37 | 28 | 72 | 120 | 163 | 134 | 146 | 113 | 53 | 207 | 137 | 173 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | NNW 8 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 19 | NW 12 | W 13 | SSW 12 | SW 23 | W 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 20 | WNW 10 | W 14 | SW 14 | WNW 12 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 37 | 23 | 25 | 11 | 74 | 21 | 31 | 56 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 25 | 98 | 35 | 15 | 33 | 29 | 43 | 67 | 102 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | — | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 40 | — | 32 | 100 | 105 | 174 | 336 | 244 | 398 | 555 | 402 | 703 | 895 | 388 | 447 | 571 | 450 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 243 | 0 | 386 | 0 | 3 | 193 | 729 | 29 | 265 | 386 | 3 | 510 | 3 | 3 | 169 | 243 | 0 | 169 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
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 Third 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 Third Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Third Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Third Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Third 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 (Third 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 Third 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.
Third Reef is 85 km (53 miles) from Eureka. If you plan a vacation in Humboldt County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Eureka. Eureka has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest