Vetchs Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the upcoming weeks.

Honestly, it’s been a rough stretch to start. For the first several days, there’s barely a whisper of decent surf. The wind is mostly cross-on, blowing hard, and the ocean is just a mess. From Thursday 26 August right through to the first few days of September, it’s all poor surf conditions with onshore winds and lumpy, choppy lines. You’d be wasting your energy paddling out. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Then, on Thursday afternoon, 3 September, things finally look like they might turn around. This is your standout window. Vetchs Reef is a rare and tricky spot – it rarely breaks, so when it does, you pay attention. Swell is coming from the ENE at a solid 13ft – that’s a big, powerful groundswell with a period of 9 seconds, so it’s got some punch. The combined energy of all swells directed here is a massive 2403, which is strong to very strong energy. But here’s the kicker: the wind goes glassy. That’s right, glassy. This is a reef break, exposed to the NE, and the optimum swell is from the NE, so the direction is a perfect match. The water is clean, the waves are going to be lined up, and for experienced surfers, this is about as good as it gets. The crowd profile says “sometimes,” so you might have a few others with the same idea, but with a setup like this, it’s worth the company.

Before that, on Wednesday morning 2 September, there’s a brief clean window with a cross-off SSW wind and 3ft swell, but it’s weak and small – combined energy of just 144. Not really worth getting excited about.

After that Thursday standout, the rest of the forecast goes quiet again. Friday 4 September sees the wind swing back to a strong cross-on, blowing the surf out, and by the weekend it’s tiny and weak. The following week into early September is mostly flat or marginal, with a few small pulses from the ENE and SE, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is too small or too short-period to make anything of.

So, in short: if you’re an experienced surfer, mark your calendar for Thursday afternoon 3 September at Vetchs Reef. That’s the one. The rest of the window is a write-off, but that day is a genuine gem.

Rusty.

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