Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards.

Honestly, for the next sixteen days, we're looking at a pretty grim run at this spot. The only break we have to work with is Vetchs Reef, and it's a tricky one – it rarely breaks, and when it does, the conditions are just not playing ball for most of the period.

The water is sitting at 68° right now, which is a bit colder than normal for the time of year.

We kick off on Friday the 11th of September with a moderate 4ft swell from the east, but it's got a cross-shore wind on it and the combined wave energy is only moderate at around 203 to 217. The report calls it poor surf conditions, so not worth getting wet for. That theme carries right through the weekend and into Monday. By Sunday the 13th, the wind goes onshore and the swell bumps up a touch to 5ft with a short, weak period of 7 seconds. Not good.

Then things get a bit more serious, but not in a good way. Monday the 14th sees a big jump in swell – 10ft by the morning, building to 13ft in the afternoon, with a strong cross-onshore wind hitting 37 mph. The combined energy spikes right up (974 to 2376), but the place will be a complete mess. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it looks blown out.

We get a little bit of a reprieve on Tuesday the 15th, with the swell dropping to a still-chunky 6ft and the wind easing. The combined energy is still moderate to strong (614 to 627), but the forecast calls it 'marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions'. It's not a total write-off, just a very average day if you're desperate.

Wednesday the 16th is similar – 6ft to 6ft swell from the east with a period stretching to 10 seconds, and onshore winds. Again, marginal.

We finally see a shift in the wind later on. Thursday the 17th and into Friday the 18th, we get a light offshore or cross-offshore breeze. The swell drops back to a small 3ft to 4ft, with combined energy falling to a weak 130 to 273. For the first time, the report mentions "clean" surf. It's not big, it's not powerful, but if you need to get out, this is the best the period offers. It's surfable but very ordinary.

After that, it's back to poor, messy conditions, with small, weak, short-period swell and onshore winds for the rest of the run. There’s even a period around the 25th of September where the swell gets up above 8ft again, but with a short period and cross-onshore wind, it’s just a messy, big lump.

So, the standout? It's got to be Friday the 18th of September. The wind finally goes offshore, the swell is a small 3ft to 3ft from the east, and the conditions are clean. It’s the only window that looks genuinely surfable, even if it's not going to be firing. For a spot that rarely breaks and is often blown out, that’s your best bet.

Otherwise, it’s a long wait for not a lot.

Rusty.

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