Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Right now, and for the next couple of weeks, it’s a pretty grim run for this area. There’s a massive gap of surfable days staring us in the face. From Saturday the 22nd of August, right through to Sunday the 30th of August, there’s just nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, the wind is all wrong, and every check is reading "poor surf conditions." It’s one of those stretches where you’re better off leaving the board in the shed.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until Monday the 31st of August. Vetchs Reef might just be the only spot worth a look that morning. We’re looking at a clean 4 ft swell rolling in from the East, with a 9-second period. The wind is light and cross-offshore out of the South at 6 mph, so the face should be pretty tidy. The combined energy is sitting at 241 (moderate), so there’s a bit of push behind it, but nothing crazy. Water temp is 70°, right on the money for this time of year. Now, the tricky bit – Vetchs Reef is a reef break, it’s for advanced crew only, and it rarely breaks. So if it’s on, it’s a treat, but don’t bank on it being perfect. It also gets crowded sometimes, so you might have company. The swell is from the ENE, which is close to its optimum NE direction, so the shape could be there.

After that Monday morning window, things get messy again. By Monday afternoon the wind swings and it goes a bit cross-chop. Tuesday the 1st of September kicks off with onshore wind, and then we’re back into a solid run of cross-onshore wind and building, messy swell. From Tuesday afternoon through to Wednesday the 2nd, the swell jumps up to 7 ft to 8 ft, but with a strong NE wind chopping it all up, it’s just a washing machine. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

Thursday the 3rd of September sees the swell hanging around 7 ft to 8 ft from the ENE, still with onshore wind, so the quality is poor. There’s a marginal call for Thursday afternoon if the wind drops, but it’s a gamble.

We finally get another clean-ish window on Friday the 4th of September in the afternoon. The swell drops back to 2 ft from the ENE, with a 10-second period. The wind goes glassy – dead calm, 3 mph from the East. That’s a rare moment of peace. The combined energy is weak at 118, so it’ll be small and slow, but if you just want to get wet on a longboard, it’s surfable.

From there, the last few days (5th to 6th of September) fade back into small, weak, and choppy conditions. Nothing to get excited about.

So, to wrap it up: the standout window is Monday morning, August 31st, at Vetchs Reef. That’s the cleanest, most promising session in the whole 16 days. The rest is a battle with the wind or a waiting game.

Rusty.

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