Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week is a real mixed bag, and there’s not a lot to get excited about. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and choppy conditions. The stand-out window is a narrow one, but there is one moment that could be worth the wait.

The real highlight for the whole 16-day run is a short window around Monday, July 20th. Vetchs Reef is the spot to watch. It’s a rarely breaks reef setup, so you have to be ready to go when it fires. Monday morning, the forecast is for a clean 6 ft swell from the southeast, with a solid 12-second period. The wind is dead calm – glassy conditions. The combined energy is healthy at 910 (moderate wave energy). That’s the kind of morning that makes you call in sick. Water temp is sitting at 71°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The rest of the first week is a grind. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th offer small, cross-shore junk in the 3 ft to 4 ft range with short 10-second periods. Sunday the 19th looks tiny and weak, but the morning is glassy – that’s about the only positive. From Monday afternoon through the end of the week, it’s a dusty stretch of onshore winds and messy conditions, with swell dropping off into nothing by Thursday the 23rd.

We hit a real dead zone from Wednesday the 23rd of July all the way through to Sunday the 27th. That’s nearly five days of practically no surf – tiny, weak, blown-out crud. Wouldn’t bother paddling out.

Then, just when you’re about to give up, the forecast shows a pulse of energy returning for Tuesday, July 28th. Vetchs Reef is the pick again. Tuesday morning sees a 7 ft swell from the east-northeast, but it’s a short period at 7 seconds, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy and disorganised. The combined energy is strong at 779 (moderate wave energy). Tuesday afternoon cleans up nicely with light cross-offshore winds, and the swell is still a solid 7 ft with an 8-second period. That’s a solid wave, but at over 7 ft, it’s strictly for the experienced crew. The rest of that week into early August looks like it fades back into choppy, onshore slop, with nothing worth chasing.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is the glassy morning of July 20th for a really clean, fun-sized reef wave. The pulse on July 28th is bigger but messier, and only for the experts. Outside of those two windows, you’re better off waxing your board and waiting.

Rusty.

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