Whites Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on the cards for the coming weeks.

Things are kicking off a bit slow today, Monday the 17th of August, but it’s actually a decent start. There’s a clean, manageable 2ft swell from the southwest with a very long period of 16 seconds rolling in at Whites Reef. The wind is light and offshore from the ENE, keeping conditions glassy. This is a reef break that's fairly consistent, so expect some clean, lined-up waves. The water temperature is a touch warmer than what’s usual for this time of year, sitting at 59°. The combined swell energy is sitting at 394, which is moderate, but the quality of the wave shape should be good.

This window holds up into Monday afternoon, with the swell bumping up to 4ft and the same long-period swell, still with offshore winds. Tuesday takes a turn for the worse as a north-easterly breeze picks up and goes cross-offshore, and the quality drops significantly. Honestly, from Tuesday right through to the end of the following week, things look poor or marginal at best. There’s a gap of about ten days here where the wind shifts onshore or cross-shore, and while the swell height climbs — up to 5ft by Saturday the 22nd with combined energy hitting 1059 — the wind is on it, making conditions lumpy and choppy. That’s not a paddle session unless you’re a glutton for punishment. The setup would be more interesting for kite surfing during that strong, windy spell.

After that extended run of dodgy conditions, we start seeing a turnaround on Thursday the 27th of August. The morning brings a clean 2ft from the southwest, with the ENE wind turning offshore again. The combined energy is 361, modest, but it’s glassy. Friday the 28th keeps the trend going with a similar size, clean waves. But the real standout is shaping up for Saturday the 29th of August. We’ve got a jump in swell to 5ft from the southwest, and the wind is offshore from the east at 12 mph. Combined swell energy hits 982 — solid moderate-to-strong energy for a reef break. The long period of 12 seconds means good, well-shaped lines peeling through. It’s big enough to be a proper session, but should still be manageable for intermediate surfers. There’s a chance of crowds at Whites Reef, so get in early.

The winds hold offshore into Sunday the 30th, though the swell drops back to 3ft. The last few days of the month and into September look more marginal again, with the wind turning cross-off and energy dropping, so that Saturday the 29th is definitely your main target. Mark it on the calendar, but remember it’s a week and a half out, so it’s a promising call, not a guarantee.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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