Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what we’ve got coming up at Whites Reef. It’s a reef break that takes a south-west swell and really needs that clean offshore wind to shine. For the next two weeks, we’re seeing plenty of swell energy, but the wind and conditions are gonna be the main story here.

Right off the bat, Saturday morning (August 29) there’s a bit of life with a 3ft south-west swell and a clean, light offshore wind from the WSW. The water’s sitting at 58°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The combined swell energy is moderate at 407. It’s a small window of clean surf but the forecast calls it marginal, so don’t expect perfection.

Through Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday, the wind stays light but the forecast drops the score right out. It’s just not cooperating for quality waves, with the energy dropping and conditions going flat.

Now, here’s the standout of the whole 16 days—it’s Monday morning, August 31. We’ve got a clean, glassy 4ft south-west swell, with a very long 15-second period pushing in. The combined swell energy is strong at 792. The wind is a slight air from the NW, barely a ripple on the water. That is proper long-period groundswell, and while it can sometimes be too straight for a beach break, Whites Reef is a reef, so it should handle it beautifully. This is the best bet of the entire outlook. The early session on Monday is the one to chase.

The rest of the first week and into the second gets messy. Tuesday, September 1, the wind picks up from the NNW at 16 mph, cross-shore and choppy, ruining what could’ve been decent 3ft swell. Wednesday and Thursday the onshore wind kicks in, and Thursday morning sees the swell push up to 6ft with a strong 1154 combined energy, but the onshore cross-wind makes it a messy, choppy mess. This continues right through to Saturday, September 5, where we see a 6ft south-west swell with 25 mph onshore winds—way too blown out for any kind of paddle surfing.

From there, the whole second week is just more of the same. Moderate to fresh winds from the north-west or west, all cross-shore or cross-onshore, choppy and lumpy. The swell hangs around, sometimes up to 6ft with long 16 or 17-second periods, and the energy is strong to very strong, hitting as high as 1858 on the 9th of September. But with the wind howling, it’s just not surfable. You’d be better off with a kite in these conditions.

Towards the very end, Saturday, September 12, there’s a hint of a clean-up with a cross-shore NNW wind at 12 mph and a 5ft south-west groundswell at 16 seconds, energy at 1431. It’s marginal and the morning is worth a look if you’re desperate, but still not the clean canvas we had on that Monday morning.

So if you’re waiting for good surf, make that Monday morning (August 31) your target. After that, it’s a long wait for anything else truly rideable. Don’t hold your breath for the second week—it’s rough out there.

Rusty.

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