Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming our way. I’ve got to be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window, but there’s not a single day that stands out as good surf. The first real chance of anything worth a mention doesn’t come until Tuesday the 8th of September, and even then it’s only marginal.

The whole period is plagued by messy, choppy conditions at Vetchs Reef. It’s a tricky spot, a reef break that rarely breaks, and when it does, it needs everything to line up perfectly. For the first five days, from Wednesday the 2nd right through Sunday the 6th, it’s just poor. We’ve got cross-shore winds, cross-onshore winds, and the swell is all over the place, with weak to moderate energy (under 240). It’s not going to be any fun.

Monday the 7th of September gets a bit punchier, with swell hitting 6 ft to 8 ft from the ENE. The combined energy ramps up to 320 and then 725, which is solid. But the wind is howling out of the NE at 25 to 25 mi/h, making a mess of things. That's fresh to strong cross-onshore, and it’s going to be lumpy and messy. It's not a day for a paddle board; that setup is more interesting for the kite surfers.

Now, on Tuesday the 8th of September, we finally get a little glimmer. The swell is 5 ft from the ENE, and while the morning has light cross-onshore wind, the afternoon switches to a cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 16 mi/h. That will clean the waves up, but the swell period is short (7 seconds), so the wave shape won't be great. The energy is moderate (237-263). It’s only rated a 1 out of 10, so it’s marginal at best, likely with questionable tide conditions.

The water temperature at Vetchs Reef is 68°F, which is about 2° cooler than the long-term average for this time of year. So expect it to feel a bit colder than normal.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions right through to the end of the window on the 17th. There are a couple of afternoons later in the run (the 13th and the 14th) where we get some clean, cross-offshore wind, but the swell drops right down to 2 ft to 3 ft, which is barely breaking. The energy is weak, under 100.

The biggest numbers come on Wednesday the 16th of September, with swell hitting a solid 10 ft from the NE. The combined energy is massive – 1097 in the morning and 1733 in the afternoon. But again, the wind is strong cross-onshore out of the NE at 16 to 25 mi/h. That much power with that wind is just a washing machine. For a reef break, that's expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a battle.

Honestly, if you’re looking for a standout session, there isn’t one in this run. The only two windows with any hope are the afternoon of the 8th for a marginal, clean-ish wave, and maybe the morning of the 16th if you’re a masochistic expert who doesn’t mind messy, powerful surf. But for the rest of us, it’s a waiting game.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the forecasts, and I’ll catch you next time.

Rusty.

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