Tabinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s talk about this region. Tabinha’s the only game in town for the next little while, and to be blunt, it’s a tough ask. The water temp is sitting at 82°F, which is about average for this time of year, so that’s not the problem. The problem is the surf itself—small, short-period windswell and just not enough quality to get excited about.

We’ve got a blank run for most of the first week. The swell is consistently tiny through Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th, running 3ft to 4ft from the ENE or E, with periods of 5 to 7 seconds. That’s weak stuff. The combined wave energy never cracks 100 (66 to 90) in those early sessions, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, adding chop. It’s not worth paddling out.

The first real sniff of something decent creeps in on Thursday morning the 16th. The swell lifts just a touch to 4ft from the E, period still only 7 seconds, but the wind goes cross-offshore from the SE, keeping the surface clean. The wave energy ticks up to 160. That’s about the best on offer all period, but it’s still a marginal, short-period wave – likely closing out or needing a pretty forgiving board.

Thursday afternoon the wind swings back to a cross-shore and the quality drops. That pattern sets the tone: mornings tend to be clean with that SE cross-off breeze, but the afternoons get chopped up. The surf stays small and weak, mostly between 3ft and 4ft, period stuck at 5 or 6 seconds, and energy values hoovering around 88 to 172. Not enough push for anything with real shape.

There’s a little spike on Thursday the 23rd of July – morning surf hits 5ft from E with a period of 7 seconds and wave energy jumps to 295. That’s the highest energy in the entire run, but again it’s still a short-period swell. The wind holds cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean, but don’t expect any real power or hollow sections. It’s still just a windswell pulse.

After that, it fades. The last week of July and into the 29th sees the swell drop back under 4ft, energy falling below 100, and the winds getting more onshore. It’s a slog.

Honestly, for a dedicated surfer there’s not one standout here. The best call is Thursday morning the 16th for the slightly cleaner conditions and a little more energy, or Thursday morning the 23rd for the highest wave energy of the run. But neither is a standout in any real sense. For beginners, anything over 5ft isn’t an issue, but the short, weak swell and inconsistent energy won’t give them much either. If the wind stays consistent, it’s probably a better session for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the chop and weak period.

Look, it’s a quiet stretch. The forecast is poor all the way through, but that can change. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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