Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at Whites Reef are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a decent amount of swell on the cards, but the wind and conditions are going to be the main talking points. The water’s sitting at 59°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might get away with a thinner suit.

The first real chance to paddle out comes Saturday the 22nd of August. The afternoon looks alright with a 6-foot swell out of the SW. The period is a solid 14 seconds, so there’s some good energy in the water (1465). The issue is the WSW wind is blowing 12 mph straight onshore, so it’s going to be bumpy. It’s marginal, but if you’re desperate, you could find a few.

Sunday the 23rd sees the swell drop to 4 feet with that same SW direction. The morning has a NNW cross-shore breeze at 9 mph, which will put a bit of a chop on the face. The afternoon turns cross-onshore with a longer 16-second period, but it’ll be fairly choppy. Not the best.

Monday the 24th is where we start to see some cleaner conditions. The swell drops to 3 feet, but the wind goes cross-offshore from the N and NNE, light at 6-9 mph. The morning is marked as clean, and the afternoon gets a rating of ‘expect good surf conditions’ with the combined energy at 261. It’ll be small, but you’ll get some clean little runners.

Tuesday the 25th morning is a standout. The swell pushes back up to 3 feet from the SW with a 13-second period. The wind is light from the SE at 6 mph, cross-offshore, and the conditions are clean. The combined energy is a moderate 433. This is your best window early in the period – small but clean and fun. The afternoon turns sour with a 12 mph S wind making it choppy.

From Wednesday the 26th through to Friday the 28th, it’s a bit of a write-off. Swell hangs around 2 feet to 5 feet, but the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, creating chop. The afternoon of Friday the 28th has a 4-foot swell with a 16-second period (729 energy), but the S wind at 9 mph is cross-onshore and fairly choppy.

Now, look ahead to Sunday the 30th of August. The morning has a 5-foot SSW swell with an 18-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell, packing 1462 energy. The wind is glassy from the WSW at only 3 mph. This is the best-looking swell of the whole run. The only catch is the period is so long (18 seconds) that at a beach or reef break, it might wrap a bit straight. But with glassy conditions, if you can get a peak, it’ll be proper. The afternoon bumps up to 6 feet with a 17-second period and 2041 energy, but the wind picks up to 6 mph onshore. The morning is the pick.

Monday the 31st has a 5-foot SW swell (17 seconds, 1131 energy) but a 12 mph NNW cross-shore wind will put a chop on it. After that, the first week of September is mostly poor with onshore winds, though Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon has a glassy, 4-foot SW swell with a 13-second period and clean conditions – a nice little window if you can sneak out.

Overall, your two best bets are Tuesday the 25th of August morning for clean, small waves, and Sunday the 30th of August morning for a bigger, glassy, long-period groundswell. Keep an eye on that Sunday – it could be a proper session if the wind stays light.

Rusty.

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