Map
Cardiff Reef
Today's Surf Conditions at Cardiff Reef
Spot Conditions Map
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Today's Surf & Wind Forecast (Hourly)
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Spot Overview & Description
Cardiff Reef is a trifecta of high-performance reef breaks, each with its own distinct personality, all sharing the same bedrock and sand foundation. By summer, the waves soften into gentle rollers, but winter swells breathe life into the rock ledges, delivering punchy, critical sections that demand respect. The lineup offers both lefts and rights, but the real character lies in the three distinct peaks. Just north of the lagoon mouth, Tippers unleashes a hollow, fast left that rewards a quick drop and a tight line, while its right is shorter and mushier—a lesser alternative. To the south, Suckouts is the heavy hitter: a powerful, shallow right-hand barrel pitching over treacherous reef, built for those willing to get spit out. For a more forgiving session, South Peak sits in front of the parking lot, offering long, quality rights that peel cleanly into the channel, making it the go-to for smooth, drawn-out rides.
Best Surf Season & Climatology
Best Surf Season (October - March)
The North Pacific comes alive during these months, generating consistent, long-period swell from the W and WSW that pours into Cardiff Reef. With an average wave period of 12-13 seconds and heights sitting in the fun to solid range (1-1.5m), the reef pulses with powerful, rideable waves. The real key, though, is the wind: offshore flow from the NE to ESE quadrant blows clean 22-50% of the time, sculpting glassy faces and making the most of every set. When a strong Aleutian low parks itself in the Gulf of Alaska, we see those epic, pumping days with waves in the 1.5-2.5m range. This is prime time — cold water, big skies, and consistent action.
Fair Surf Season (April & September)
These shoulder months are a mixed bag, as the swell pattern transitions. April still gets a decent dose of W and WSW swell (average 1.1m, 13.3s period), but the offshore wind window narrows to just 16%. You’ll often find a morning window with a light ENE breeze, but by mid-day the onshore flow kicks in. September sees the tail end of summer south swells from the SSW and SW, with average heights around 1m and very long periods (13.6s). However, ideal offshore winds are rare — only 6% of the time. When the stars align, those long-period ground swells combine with a morning offshore — that’s when you score clean, peeling lines.
Low Surf Season (May - August)
Summer brings a dramatic shift: the dominant swell shifts to the SSW and SW, primary from Southern Hemisphere storms and local eddies. While wave periods remain long (13.5-13.8s), the heights are small — averaging just 1.0m or less, most of it in the 0.5-1.5m fun-sized range. The real problem is the wind: offshore flow plummets to 1-4%, meaning the prevailing west to southwest winds (onshore) chop up the wave faces 90% of the time. Occasional early morning glass-offs with a light easterly can offer short windows, but overall it’s a struggle. Look for grindy small-wave boards and hope for a rare tropical storm pulse to break the monotony.
Detailed Surf Information for Cardiff Reef
Detailed Surf Forecast
Access our detailed 8-day swell and wind forecast charts for Cardiff Reef with tidal graphs, period ranges, and daily forecast text summaries.
Swell & Wind Statistics
Explore historical swell consistency, wave heights, and offshore wind windows month-by-month, compiled from over 40 years of data.
Historical Surf Report
Browse the historical database archives to view past wave reports and understand spot climatology during specific years and months.
