Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the outlook for Vetchs Reef.

First thing to say, the next couple of weeks are going to be a real test of patience. This spot is a reef break that rarely breaks, and this forecast does nothing to change that reputation. The water temp is sitting at 71°F with no anomaly, so pretty much average for this time of year.

Looking at the first week, it’s grim. From Monday the 6th of July right through to Sunday the 12th, we’ve got tiny, weak waves with combined energy readings all under 100 (weak), mostly in the 30s and 40s. Winds are cross-on or cross-off, never truly offshore, and the wave heights barely tickle 2ft. The swell direction is all over the place, mostly from the ESE or NE but never matching that optimum NE direction the reef craves. Not a single session worth paddling out for.

The second week doesn’t offer much relief. From Monday the 13th of July through to Thursday the 16th, the pattern stays the same: tiny lumps with no energy. On Thursday the 16th, there’s a brief moment of glassy conditions with a 2ft swell from the ESE, but it’s still weak (59 combined energy). A clean-looking surface but barely a wave.

Things finally get a little more interesting into the weekend of the 18th and 19th. On Saturday the 18th, we get clean cross-off winds with 3ft swell from the E (combined energy 136 – moderate). Still small, but clean. Then Sunday the 19th sees a bump to 4ft from the E with moderate energy at 237, but the wind swings onshore with rain showers, making a mess of it.

The best chance in this whole outlook comes on Monday the 20th of July. Swell builds to 4ft from the E, combined energy up to 275 (moderate), but the wind is howling from the NNE at 19 mph – cross-on and fresh. Not ideal, but it’s the biggest we’ve seen. By Tuesday the 21st of July, the swell pushes even higher to 7ft from the ENE with a combined energy of 804 (strong), but the period is a short 7 seconds. That much size with short period means it’ll be a lumpy, closed-out mess at a reef – definitely for experts only, and even then, with those cross-on winds, it’s more of a novelty.

Honestly, there’s no true standout session here. The glassy moment on the 16th is the cleanest, but the waves are too small to get excited about. If you’re a kite surfer, the windy, choppy days from the 20th onward might look more appealing than paddle surfing. Otherwise, it’s a two-week wait for very little reward.

Rusty.

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