Tamarin Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Tamarin Bay over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a pretty lean start. The first few days are a write-off – Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd are just no good, with messy, cross-onshore winds and weak, lumpy surf. The water temp is sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only bright spot.

Things start to look a bit more promising from the weekend of the 8th and 9th, but it’s still only marginal. We’re seeing some clean conditions with cross-offshore breezes, but the swell is small – around 3 ft to 4 ft – and the energy is moderate (815 to 885). Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate for a limp session.

The real standout comes midweek, on Wednesday the 12th of August. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. We’ve got a clean 5 ft SSW groundswell, period 15 seconds, coming from the southwest – right in the optimum direction for this reef. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the southeast, just a gentle breeze at 9 mph, so the surface will be glassy. The combined energy jumps to 1835, which is solid moderate-to-strong. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – the reef handles the long-period groundswell well, and the sets will have proper shape. Just be aware that Tamarin Bay is inconsistent and often crowded, so you’ll want to be sharp and early.

Thursday the 13th still has some nice clean morning waves – 5 ft from the SSW, period 14 seconds, with light offshore winds – but it’s a step down in quality. The following Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th see the swell building to 5 ft to 7 ft, with the southwesterly groundswell holding a long period up to 19 seconds. The energy is strong (up to 2242), but the wind turns more cross-shore and the conditions are more marginal. The bigger swell (7 ft+) is really only for the experienced crew, and the long period can make the beach section a bit fat and hard to line up.

The tail end of the forecast, from the 16th and 17th, shows some serious energy – energy readings hit 2641 and even 5322 on Monday the 17th afternoon, with a 7 ft S swell and a very long 21-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s more of a specialist affair. The wind is still cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean, but the swell is big and the period is so long it’ll be tricky to find the right take-off spot. That’s expert territory.

Bottom line: the best bet is Wednesday the 12th in the morning – clean, solid, and well-directed. The rest of the run is either too small, too windy, or too big for the average punter. Keep an eye on the longer-range stuff, but don’t lock in plans too early – forecasts can still change.

Rusty

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