Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Whites Reef over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you—it’s not looking like a classic stretch, but there’s a little window of hope in the middle if you’re patient.

We start off with a bit of a whimper. Friday the 31st is pretty much a write-off. There’s some small swell pushing in at `2.6ft` from the southwest, but the wind is messing it up, making it poor. It’s not worth getting wet for. The wave energy is weak at `199`, and the water temp is sitting at `58.5°F` which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

That carries into Saturday morning, the 1st of August. Still small, but things start to tidy up a touch. There’s a bit more push with `3.3ft` from the southwest, and that southwest swell is ideal for this break. The period jumps to `17 seconds`, which is proper groundswell, and the energy picks up to `588`. With a light cross-offshore wind, it’s looking clean, but the scores are still marginal. It's there, but you’ll be scratching around for waves. The afternoon sees the swell nudge up to `4.3ft`, but the wind swings cross-shore and it gets a bit lumpy, so the morning is your better bet.

Sunday the 2nd is a similar story. Clean conditions with a northerly cross-offshore breeze, wave heights around `3.6ft` to `3.9ft`, and good energy behind it (`870`). The wind is fresher though, `30 km/h` (`19 mph`), which is starting to get a bit punchy, but it's offshore so it will hold the faces up. It’s still only marginal, but it's rideable for the intermediate crew.

Then the wheels fall off again. Monday the 3rd sees the wind howling onshore from the southwest at `30 km/h` (`19 mph`) and the swell jumps up to `5.6ft` to `6.2ft`. It’s a powerful punch of energy (`1325`), but it’s messy and blown out. This is a beach-reef setup, and with onshore winds and that kind of size, it’s looking more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day. Not for us.

Tuesday the 4th is still onshore and choppy, and the swell drops. Wednesday the 5th drops right off, only `1.6ft` of weak, long-period swell, and the wind is on it. It’s dead. Thursday the 6th is where things start to turn. There’s still not much size—just `2.6ft` to `3ft` with a bit of a longer period—but the wind goes light, almost glassy in the morning, and the energy is still weak at `307`. It’s clean, but you’ll need a longboard.

Now, here’s the one standout in the whole fortnight. Friday the 7th of August. The wind stays offshore, light to moderate from the north, the swell is still small at `2.3ft` in the morning building to `3.6ft` in the afternoon, but the period is seriously long, hitting `18 seconds` and dropping to `17`. The energy is up (`619` to `763`), and it’s clean. This is your best chance for a proper surf. The swell direction is true southwest, which is right in the gutter for this spot. That long period will wrap nicely around this reef, and the light offshore will keep it glassy. You might have to share it with a few, as crowds are often, but for a Friday, it’ll be worth it. This is the one to circle.

Saturday the 8th is a letdown after that. Rain moves in, the wind swings fresh and cross-shore at `30 km/h` (`19 mph`), making it lumpy. The swell is still there but it’s a mess. Not worth it.

Sunday the 9th is a blowout. Strong breeze at `40 km/h` (`25 mph`), rain, and even though it’s offshore, it’s just too windy. The surf will be a war zone. We’re looking at a gap now with a couple of poor days.

Monday the 10th sees a big pulse of swell arrive, `6.6ft` to `6.9ft` from the west-southwest. The energy is strong at `2273`, but the wind is fresh and cross-shore, so it’s going to be lumpy. This is getting into expert territory size-wise, but the conditions will be poor. For the average surfer, this is a look-at-it-from-the-beach day.

Then it’s grim again. Tuesday the 11th is a near gale from the west-northwest at `50 km/h` (`31 mph`), the surf is blown out

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