Super Tubes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. We’ve got a decent run of surf ahead, but you’re gonna have to work around a few windy days. The standout window is the middle of next week and then again towards the end of the month. Let’s get into it.

The surf kicks off Saturday morning, September 12, with a clean 4ft swell from the WSW, period around 12 seconds. Winds are glassy from the ENE at just 3 mph, so Super Tubes (Tubuai) will be looking real nice. The water temp is about average for this time of year, no surprises there. The combined swell energy is moderate at 720. Crowds are often here, so expect company. That Saturday afternoon gets a bit lumpy as the wind swings cross-shore and the swell bumps up to 6ft, but it’s still rideable if you don’t mind a bit of chop.

Sunday, September 13, is a write-off – strong onshore winds from the E at 15–19 mph and a lumpy 8ft swell. Not worth paddling out. Monday the 14th is messy in the morning, but Monday afternoon cleans up nicely with a light cross-off breeze and a solid waist-to-chest high 4ft SW swell. Tuesday, September 15, starts glassy again with a 5ft SW groundswell at 10 seconds – clean and fun, but the period isn’t long enough to get super excited about. The combined energy is moderate at 534.

Now, Wednesday morning, September 16 – this is where it gets serious. We’ve got an 8ft SW swell, 12-second period, light cross-off wind, and the combined energy jumps to 2888. That’s moderate-to-strong and it’s gonna produce some proper waves. This is one of the best options in the whole outlook – expert surfers only, it’s too big for beginners. That afternoon it bumps up to 10ft but with fresh southerly winds, so it’s a bit more challenging. Thursday the 17th holds decent 7ft SW swell with clean conditions both morning and afternoon – another good day for experienced crew.

Friday the 18th is trashed by strong onshore winds again, so skip it. Saturday the 19th has a nice afternoon window though – 6ft SW groundswell, light cross-off breeze, clean faces. The combined energy is moderate at 1069. Sunday the 20th is cross-on and choppy, not great. Monday the 21st is worth a mention – clean morning with a 5ft SW swell, light cross-off wind, combined energy 833. Nice and cruisy.

Then we hit a flat spot – Tuesday and Wednesday, September 22 and 23 morning, swell drops to under 3ft, with poor onshore conditions. But hold onto your board – Wednesday afternoon, September 23, the ocean wakes up. An 12ft SW groundswell at 14 seconds with offshore WSW winds at 15 mph, and the combined energy is a massive 4599. That’s a big, powerful, clean swell. Too big for anyone but experts. Thursday the 24th stays solid with 10–12ft SW swell and offshore winds. This whole sequence from Wednesday the 23rd to Thursday the 24th is the other standout – huge, clean, and heavy.

Friday the 25th gets blown out by strong offshore winds (28 mph) – hard to paddle into. The weekend of September 26–27 sees the swell dropping back to 5–6ft but the wind is cross-off to cross, so it’s still clean if you’re keen.

To sum it up: the best bets are Wednesday morning, September 16, and the big offshore window of September 23–24. Both are expert-level only.

Rusty.

Read more