Toquay Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for this stretch of coast over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but once we get through Friday and Saturday of this week, things start to build into something pretty special, especially for those who can handle some size. The standout window is shaping up for early September.

Friday the 21st is pretty lackluster to kick things off. Toquay Reef is seeing a small 3 ft SW groundswell (343 combined energy) in the morning with a moderate cross-off breeze, but it’s just not doing much. The afternoon cleans up a little with a proper offshore wind, but the waves are down to 2 ft. Not worth getting too excited about.

Saturday the 22nd is where the pulse arrives. The morning brings a solid 13 ft SW swell – that’s a heavy one. It’s pumping with 8628 combined energy, but that size is strictly for experienced surfers only, and it's coming with a moderate cross-off breeze. The afternoon stays big at 13 ft, but the onshore cross-wind will chop it up.

Sunday the 23rd is a real treat if you’ve got the skills. The morning drops to a still-chunky 5 ft SW groundswell with a long 14-second period and a light offshore breeze out of the NW. The afternoon stays at 5 ft, but the period stretches to a very long 16 seconds, making those sets clean and lined up. The combined energy is 1193 and 1593 respectively – moderate to solid. This is a proper reef set-up with a long-period SW groundswell, which means the waves will have real shape and power. Winds are light to gentle offshore, so expect clean, glassy conditions.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are a definite step down. The swell drops to 4 ft and 3 ft on Monday with cross-off winds, but by Tuesday we’ve got onshore wind and rain, turning it choppy and messy. The energy dips into the weak to moderate range. Not the time for a paddle.

Wednesday the 26th sees a bump back up, but it’s messy. The morning has a short-period 6 ft SSW windswell with only 8 seconds, making for jumbled lines. The afternoon jumps to 8 ft from the SW with a 13-second period, but the cross-wind up to 16 mph will put a chop on it. This one is more for the crew who don’t mind a scrap.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are a mixed bag. Thursday sees a drop back to clean but small 2-3 ft SW groundswell with good offshore and light winds – a session for the longboard or a bit of a grovel. By Friday, a strong 19 mph cross-onshore wind ruins it completely, despite a long-period 4 ft SW swell. Not worth it.

The first days of September bring a slow return of energy. From Sunday the 30th right through to Tuesday the 1st, it’s tiny – 1 ft to 2 ft – with very low energy (62 to 321 combined). There’s a glimmer on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning with clean conditions and light winds, but it’s barely surfable.

Now, the highlight. Wednesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th of September are the real standouts. On Wednesday morning the 3rd, we’ve got a clean 4 ft SW groundswell with a moderate offshore wind out of the WNW – clean lines and good shape. The combined energy is 774, which is solid. Thursday morning the 4th is even better: the swell builds to 6 ft, the period hits a very long 18 seconds, and we’ve got a gentle offshore wind. The combined energy jumps to 1873. This is excellent, powerful surf for the experienced. The long period means deep-water lines and plenty of time between sets. Afternoon on the 4th gets messy with onshore rain showers, so get your session in early.

Overall, the best bets are the morning of Sunday the 23rd of August and the morning of Thursday the 4th of September. Those are your sessions to circle.

Rusty.

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