Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell you about this stretch of coast. I gotta be straight with you – we are looking at a pretty bleak 16 days ahead. There’s barely a window where you’d want to paddle out, and even those are a stretch.

First up, the spot we’ve got intel on is Vetchs Reef. It’s an advanced, rarely-breaking reef set-up that only works when everything lines up perfectly. Right now, nearly every day is showing poor surf conditions across the board. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year at 70°, so at least you won’t freeze waiting for a set.

We start off on Sunday the 16th with a chest-high 6ft swell from the east, but with a moderate cross-onshore breeze from the NE at 12 mph, it’s choppy and messy. Not worth it. That same story pretty much runs through Sunday the 23rd. There are a few mornings, like Tuesday the 18th and Saturday the 22nd, where the wind drops to a clean cross-off or cross-off, and the combined wave energy hits a moderate 241 or 150, but the swell is weak and short period – you’re looking at 4ft or smaller. It’s marginal at best.

Then we hit a dead zone. From Sunday the 23rd afternoon right through to Tuesday the 25th morning, there’s literally zero swell. Flat as a lake. The wind goes glassy on the 25th morning, but with no waves, that doesn’t matter.

Things try to kick back up on Wednesday the 26th, but the wind ruins it. That afternoon, the swell jumps to 7ft from the ENE, which would be fun, but the wind is hammering from the NE at 28 mph. It’s a strong cross-onshore, and the combined energy climbs to 369 (moderate) – but it’s blown-out and messy. Into Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th, it’s more of the same: 6ft to 7ft of east-northeast swell with moderate to strong onshore wind. Those are expert-level waves in terrible conditions.

The best bet in this whole outlook is actually at the very end, on Monday the 31st of August. The morning shows a clean cross-off breeze from the SSW at 6 mph, with 2ft east swell and a period of 9 seconds. It’s small, and the combined energy is a weak 78, but for a moment it might be surfable and clean. Not a standout by any means, but it’s the closest we get to a decent look.

Overall, this is a rough run. For a spot that rarely breaks, you need the wind to behave, and it just won’t. This stretch is looking more like a windsurf or kite session if anything, because that 7ft swell on the 26th and 27th with the strong cross-shore wind would be a dream for those guys, but for a paddle surfer? Brutal.

Stay patient, lads. Forecasts change.

Rusty.

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