Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s look at the surf ahead. To be straight with you, the next week and a half is going to test your patience. There’s a lot of marginal, choppy, and just plain messy conditions on the cards, with only a few brief windows of clean surf.

We’re looking at a slow start. From this Saturday the 22nd through to the following Friday the 28th, it’s pretty grim. The swell is there, but the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making a mess of things. There’s a small window on Monday the 24th afternoon with light offshore winds and a clean 3ft SW swell, but it’s small and weak, with a combined energy of only 257. It’s an option if you’re desperate, but it’s not going to get the heart racing.

The weekend of the 30th and 31st is where things finally start to turn. Sunday the 30th of August looks like the standout. We’ve got a solid 6ft SSW groundswell in the morning, with a long 18-second period and a gentle offshore breeze. The wave energy jumps right up to 1944, which is strong, and conditions are described as clean. This is the one to circle on the calendar. By the afternoon it’s up to 7ft, but the wind swings cross-shore, so the morning is your best bet. This is serious swell, so it’s one for the experienced crew; beginners should give it a miss.

Then Monday the 31st keeps the quality going. The morning is glassy, with a clean 4ft SW swell and a 16-second period. The energy is moderate at 773, but that glassy wind is a huge plus – it’ll be as clean as it gets, a proper reward for waiting out the crap. That’s the second standout. The swell will be hitting Whites Reef (a reef break, fairly consistent, and exposed to the west) from the SW, and it’s going to be working. Crowds are often there, so expect company.

After that, the surf dips again. The first week of September is mostly average to poor. Tuesday the 1st is blown out, and we’re back to small, weak conditions. There’s a bit of a cleaner run on the 2nd and 3rd with some cross-offshore winds, but the swell drops right back to under 3ft – not much push. There’s a slight bump on Friday the 4th of September with 5ft SW swell, but the cross-onshore wind is going to chop it up.

So, all in all, don’t rush out this week. Wait it out for that Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st of August. That’s your window for the good stuff. It’s not going to be perfect, and the long period might make it a bit straight on the beach breaks, but for a reef like this, it should be a hell of a lot of fun. Get on it.

Later, Rusty.

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