Tamarama Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down. Rusty here.

Straight up, the next week or so is pretty grim for Tamarama Reef. You’ve got small, weak swell and a lot of sloppy onshore wind. It’s a classic winter lull for this exposed reef setup. There’s a gap right from the start, with nothing worth paddling out for on Monday the 17th or Tuesday the 18th. The swell is tiny at 3ft to 3ft from the ESE, and with poor winds and rippled surfaces, it’s just not happening. That pattern hangs around.

Wednesday the 19th morning offers a little glimmer – 2ft of ESE swell with a 10-second period, and a clean, glassy morning with offshore wind from the WNW. The combined energy is weak (167), but it’s surfable in a small-wave, longboard kind of way. It’s not a standout, but it’s the best of a bad bunch early on. Thursday and Friday mornings stay clean but the swell drops further, 3ft to 2ft with short periods around 6 seconds, so it’s a fade-out.

Then things quieten off completely. Saturday the 22nd through to Monday the 24th morning are barely worth a mention – swell down to 1ft – 2ft and weak energy readings around 14 to 120. The wind’s okay at times, but there’s no real wave.

Now, for the first true standout – mark your calendar for Tuesday the 25th. Tuesday morning looks legit. We’ve got 5ft of S swell, 9-second period, with offshore wind from the NW and clean conditions. The combined energy jumps to 391 – moderate energy building in. That’s our pick. Tamarama Reef is an advanced reef break, exposed to the south swell, so these south swells wrap in nicely. It’ll be solid, clean, and the crowds are just “sometimes” here, so you might get a few sets to yourself. That said, the afternoon gets a bit messier as the swell bumps to 5ft from the SSE with a very long 11-second period, but the wind swings cross-onshore, so stick to the morning session for the cleanest waves.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are completely blown out. Strong offshore winds from the west at 22–25 mph, but it’s too windy for comfort. The swell is still 3ft from the S/SSE with 11-second period, but that fresh to strong breeze makes it a washing machine for surfing. It’d be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that, the last few days of the forecast fade back into very ordinary. Friday the 28th to Monday the 31st are small – 1ft to 2ft – with periods around 6 to 12 seconds, mostly clean but utterly weak. Tuesday the 1st of September brings 1ft of E swell with a long 12-second period and offshore wind, but the energy is just 77 – a complete non-event.

So, overall: the one true standout is Tuesday morning the 25th of August. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or both. If you’ve got the itch, wait for that Tuesday morning window and get it clean.

Rusty.

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