Tamarama Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, grab a coffee and sit down, because the next couple of weeks at Tamarama Reef is a real mixed bag. It’s an exposed reef setup, which means it needs the right direction and size to work its magic, and honestly, for the next few days it’s looking pretty ordinary. The first real taste of decent surf doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 8th, so there’s a bit of a wait.

The water is sitting at 66°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year – no surprises there.

Let’s start from the start. Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th are pretty much a write-off. Small, weak swell with cross-off breezes makes for poor surf conditions. The combined energy is weak, sitting around 28 and 23, so don’t even bother paddling out.

Sunday the 5th is interesting, but not in a good way. We’ve got a solid 10ft S swell pumping through, with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is huge at 1666. But here’s the kicker – it’s way too big for this break, and the wind is a fresh cross-shore with lumpy chop. Only for the most experienced, and even then, it’s gonna be a messy, dangerous paddle. Not recommended for anyone.

Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th stay big and messy. Still too much size with poor cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is still over 1000, so there’s plenty of water moving, but the quality just isn’t there.

Then we get a window. Wednesday morning July 8th: This is the standout. The swell drops to a manageable 7ft from the SE, period around 10 seconds, giving a combined energy of 971. The wind swings to a light W cross-off at 19 mph, making for clean surf. This is your best bet all week – a solid, powerful swell with clean conditions. It’s a tad big for beginners, but for experienced surfers, it could be firing. Keep in mind, it can get a bit inconsistent here.

Thursday the 9th morning still has some leftovers, a 5ft SE swell with a light WSW cross-off, clean but smaller. The combined energy drops to 448. Worth a look if you missed Wednesday, but not quite the same punch.

After that, it goes quiet again. Friday the 10th through to the 13th sees the swell drop right off, with combined energy falling below 200. There’s a brief glimmer on Saturday the 11th afternoon when it goes glassy with a tiny 2ft SE swell, but it’s pretty ordinary – only a 1 out of 10 potential.

Sunday the 12th morning has a light WNW offshore and a tiny 2ft swell – clean for a mini-mal, but not much else.

Now, looking further ahead, there’s a promising pulse around Monday the 13th morning: a 5ft S swell with a 9-second period, combined energy 320, and a solid WNW offshore breeze at 25 mph. Clean and punchy. The afternoon sees a jump to 7ft from the S, combined energy 932, but the wind goes cross-off, which might keep it a bit lumpy. Still, this Monday is another potential standout if the timing works for you.

Then we hit a wall of poor conditions from Tuesday the 14th onward – strong to near-gale winds, cross-onshore, and messy. The swell hangs around but it’s blown out and lumpy. The combined energy still has some decent numbers (353 to 561), but the wind wrecks it.

There is one more wildcard: Saturday the 18th. A huge 12ft to 13ft S swell with a 11-second period, combined energy over 2700! But again, it’s way too big for this break. The morning has a clean W cross-off, but the size is only for experts, and the afternoon goes glassy. If you’re a big-wave charger and the conditions align, it could be epic, but this is a long-range call and less certain – keep an eye on it.

Overall, the best on offer is Wednesday morning July 8th for clean solid SE swell, and Monday July 13th morning for a S pulse with offshore winds. Everything else is either too small, too big, or blown out.

Stay sharp.

Rusty

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