Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up at Whites Reef. The water’s sitting at 15°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but noticeable.

The first decent chance to get wet looks like Sunday morning, August 16. We’ve got a clean 3ft groundswell from the SW with a long 14-second period, and glassy offshore winds from the east. The combined energy is moderate at 453. It’s not huge, but it’ll be tidy and the offshore breeze will keep things smooth. This is a reef break, so that long period will work well – expect some nice lines.

Monday, August 17, is looking like the standout session. The morning is a bit smaller at 2ft, but the afternoon pushes to 4ft with the same SW groundswell, now 16 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 593, which is a solid moderate energy. Winds stay light offshore from the east, so it’ll be clean and glassy. The long period will give you some proper push, and the reef will handle it well. This is the best on offer – get in the water.

Tuesday, August 18, drops off a bit. The morning has 2ft but the wind shifts cross-offshore, and the afternoon gets messy with 2ft and stronger winds. Not worth it.

From Wednesday, August 19, through to the end of the week, we’re looking at a run of poor conditions. The swell drops to 2ft, winds are onshore or cross-onshore, and we’ve got rain and lumpy chop. Saturday, August 22, sees a jump in swell to 7ft from the SW, but the wind is cross-onshore and strong, so it’ll be choppy and messy – more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.

Sunday, August 23, is similar – 7ft to 7ft but with onshore wind and lumpy conditions. The combined energy is strong (1638 to 1941), but the quality is poor.

Monday, August 24, is a flicker of hope. The morning has 7ft from the SW with a 17-second period, strong energy (2715), and light cross-onshore wind. The afternoon drops to 6ft with a lighter 6 mph cross breeze, and the combined energy is still strong at 1780. It’s marginal, but if the wind cooperates, the afternoon could have some clean-ish waves. This one’s a maybe.

The rest of the forecast into the next week sees the swell fading, with a few days of 1ft to 3ft, and then a bump on Thursday, August 27, with 2ft but very strong onshore winds making it unsurfable. The last day, Sunday, August 30, shows 3ft from the SW with a 16-second period, gentle offshore breeze, and a combined energy of 316. The score says “good surf conditions,” so it’s worth a look for a small, clean session.

Overall, the best windows are Sunday morning August 16 and Monday afternoon August 17. The crowd situation at Whites Reef can be busy, so factor that in. The long period swells will make the reef work its magic.

Rusty.

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