Toquay Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what's coming up for Toquay Reef over the next couple of weeks.

The week kicks off with a solid, long-period SW groundswell that'll be running for a few days, but it's not quite a straight-up winner for everyone. We’ve got a decent pulse of energy, but the wind and tide conditions aren’t always playing ball. Then it drops right off into a flat spell mid-period before a possible second pulse tries to build again for the last week of the month.

We start things off on Thursday, the 13th of August and into Friday the 14th. The swell is sitting around 7 ft from the SW with a very long 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy, giving a moderate combined energy (around 2444). The wind is a cross-offshore breeze, keeping things reasonably clean. This is the standout window for the whole outlook. For experienced surfers who know a reef, this is the time to be out. The waves will have plenty of power, nice shape from that long period, and the cross-off wind will keep the face clean. Toquay Reef is exposed to this SW swell and the optimum direction lines up well. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have some company, but for quality, this is the best session on offer.

Friday afternoon, the swell eases slightly to 6 ft, but the wind shifts to cross-shore, introducing a little bump. It’s still surfable, but not as glassy as the morning sessions. By Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, the swell drops below 6 ft, and the wind turns cross-onshore. The energy is fading, dropping to a mild combined energy of 600-1300. It’s still rideable for the keen, but it’s not going to be clean.

Then we hit a real flat patch. From Monday the 17th all the way through to late next week, the swell bottoms out. Waves barely hit 3 ft or less for days, with the combined energy dropping to weak three-digit numbers or even lower. A lot of these days are showing poor surf conditions or marginal at best. The wind is all over the place – offshore, cross-off – but there’s just no swell to work with. This stretch is a write-off.

Around Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd of August, there’s a tiny pulse of new SW swell, about 3 to 4 ft with a 14-second period. The wind looks clean, with some light airs or even a fresh offshore breeze, but the combined energy is still weak (around 253-606). It's a sneaky small-wave session for a longboard, but nothing to get too excited about.

Now, for the end of the outlook, keep an eye on Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th. A larger SW swell is forecast to build again, hitting 4 ft on Monday and pushing up to 8 ft by Tuesday afternoon. The period is moderate at 14-17 seconds, and the combined energy kicks back into a strong four-digit figure (up to 2116). The wind on Monday is a solid offshore from the WNW, which is a big positive for getting clean waves. This could be a promising run, but it's a long-range call, so don't bet the house on perfect conditions just yet. It’s worth checking in closer to the date. Tuesday improves the size but the wind gets a bit messier with a cross-off from the west.

After that, the swell holds around 6 to 8 ft on Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th, but the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy. That late-period SSE wind on Thursday brings a very long 18-second period swell, but it's onshore, so the reef won't be offering its best.

Best Bet: Without a doubt, the best surfing of the whole forecast is Thursday morning, August 13th through Friday morning, August 14th. You've got a solid 7 ft SW groundswell with a 16-second period, cross-off winds, and clean conditions. It's a proper reef break, so it handles that long period well. If you're an experienced surfer and can get out there, that's your window. The second pulse around Monday, August 24th also looks promising, but it's further out and less certain.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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