Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you. This is a tough stretch for Vetchs Reef. It’s a rarely-breaking reef setup that needs everything to line up, and for the next two weeks, it’s mostly a story of “what could have been.” We’ve got some serious swell on the way, but the wind is going to be a constant battle. Let’s break it down.

The first real surf we see is on Thursday, the 27th of August, but it’s not pretty. The swell jumps to 4ft coming from the east, but the wind is a cross-onshore from the northeast at 16 mph, making it choppy. The wave energy is weak (101). It’s a write-off.

Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th get a lot bigger. Swell heights hit 8ft to 11ft from the east-northeast, with periods around 8 seconds. The combined energy is strong to very strong (636 to 1601). But here’s the catch: wind is screaming from the northeast at 25-28 mph, cross-onshore, creating a messy, lumpy, wind-affected mess. It’s not surfable, it’s a kite-surfing setup. The water temp is about 71°, which is totally normal for this time of year.

Sunday the 30th still has solid 7ft to 8ft swell from the east-northeast, period dropping to 10 seconds, with moderate energy (880-1187). But the wind is still cross-onshore from the northeast at 13 mph. The reef will be blown out.

Monday the 31st of August is the first real flicker of hope. The swell drops to 4ft to 5ft from the east, period 10 seconds, with moderate energy (339-656). The wind shifts to a cross-offshore from the south and south-southwest at 19 mph, making it clean. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the best we’ve seen in a week. If you’re an advanced surfer and can handle a rare-breaking reef, this is the one to watch.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions. The first week of September is a washout with cross-onshore winds and weak swell. There’s a brief window on Saturday the 5th of September. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the southeast, period 10 seconds, with very strong energy (1217). The wind is cross-offshore from the south-southwest at 13 mph, so it’s clean. This is another standout, but it’s marginal and still a bit raw at 10ft on the afternoon.

Sunday the 6th of September has 10ft swell from the east-northeast, but it’s cross-shore and messy. The energy is still very strong (1666). For the experts only.

The final hope is Tuesday the 8th of September. Swell is 8ft from the east-northeast, period 9 seconds, with strong energy (951). The wind is light onshore from the east at 3 mph in the morning, making it glassy. This is the best-looking long-range call. Clean, solid, and on a reef. It’s promising, but we’re a week and a half out, so don’t hold your breath.

Overall, a frustrating outlook. The reef will have plenty of swell, but the wind will ruin it most days. The standouts are Monday the 31st of August and Saturday the 5th of September. If you’re an expert and can handle the crowds that are *sometimes* there, those are your windows. Otherwise, it’s a kite boarder’s paradise out there.

Rusty.

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