Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got for the next couple of weeks at Whites Reef.

First off, the water temperature is sitting right about where you’d expect for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary there. The swell energy is moderate early on, but don’t get too excited just yet – the conditions are a bit of a mess for the first few days.

We kick things off on Saturday the 29th of August. There’s a 3ft SW swell rolling in with a nice long 14-second period, and combined energy sitting at 407 (moderate). The wind is light and offshore from the WSW in the morning – that’s clean. But the forecast is calling it marginal, and honestly, the wave quality just isn’t there to get stoked on. The afternoon drops off even more with 3ft and poor conditions. Sunday the 30th is more of the same: 4ft SW swell, still clean with light offshore wind in the morning, but again, the surf is only marginal and the afternoon goes poor.

Now, Monday the 31st is where things start to get interesting. The morning is still a bit iffy with a cross-shore breeze, but the afternoon... that’s the standout session of the entire outlook. We’ve got a 4ft SW swell with a very long 17-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1293 (strong). The wind turns light and cross-offshore from the SE, making for clean surf. The report says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. With that long period, it’s going to have plenty of push and shape – think long lines, good for the reef setup here. If you’re an intermediate or better, that Monday afternoon is your window. Just be aware, the crowds here are often around, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

After that high point, it’s a rough stretch. Tuesday the 1st of September gets messy with strong cross-shore winds, and the swell drops back to 4ft and 3ft. Wednesday the 2nd through the end of the first week is a write-off – winds are onshore or cross-onshore, and despite some decent swell sizes (up to 7ft by the 4th), the conditions are just poor. That bigger swell with 15-second period and energy up to 1776 (very strong) is wasted.

The second week doesn’t offer much relief. From the 5th of September right through to the 13th, we see a mix of onshore and cross-onshore winds. The swell sticks around, mostly between 4ft and 5ft from the SW, with some long periods popping up again, but the wind never cooperates. Most days are rated poor, with only a couple of marginal calls on the 5th afternoon and the 12th afternoon. The energy ranges from weak to strong, but without clean wind, it’s just not worth paddling out. On the 13th of September, there’s a 5ft SW swell with 16-second period and energy of 1125 (strong) in the morning, but it’s cross-shore with a moderate breeze, only marginal at best.

So, for the whole 16 days, the one true standout is Monday the 31st of August afternoon. That’s your session. Everything else is a lot of waiting for the wind to sort itself out. Sometimes it’s just like that – forecasts can change, but right now, you’ve got one good window and a whole lot of frustration.

Rusty.

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