Tandjung-Lefts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, grabbing my stick and staring down the charts for the next couple of weeks at Tandjung-Lefts. It's gonna be a grind, folks, not a glide. We got a solid, consistent south-west groundswell running for pretty much the whole 16-day window, plenty of size and that long-period juice, but the wind is the villain in this story. It's locked in from the southeast, straight across the reef, for almost every session. That means chop, bumps, and a battle from the moment you paddle out.

The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no need to dig out the full wetsuit.

The size kicks off on Saturday, the 8th of August, with 8ft SSW swell at a long 16 seconds. The combined energy is strong, reading 2750. But that wind... 20 km/h cross-onshore from the SE. It's a messy, choppy scene. The morning's the pick of a bad bunch with rain showers to keep the crowds down, but the surf quality is marginal. This pattern sticks around through Sunday the 9th and into the start of the week.

Monday the 10th afternoon is a bit of a standout, the only one in the whole run. The swell pushes up to 10ft from the SSW, with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy jumps to 4833 – that's proper grunt. The wind eases to a gentle 15 km/h cross-onshore breeze. Still onshore, still cross, but lighter, making it only "fairly choppy" instead of a full washing machine. It's still not perfect, but it's the best we'll see. This is advanced territory at that size and period. The 10ft sets will be well over your head, and that long period (over 15 seconds) means the waves will be walling up, very powerful, and breaking a bit straight on the reef. You'll need your wits about you. Crowds are "sometimes" a factor here, but with the conditions, it might be less busy.

Tuesday the 11th holds similar size, 10ft, with the energy keeping up around the 4500-5700 mark. The wind stays gentle, but the chop is still there.

From Wednesday the 12th, the wind picks back up to 20 km/h, and we're back to choppy and messy. By Thursday the 13th, another pulse hits, 10ft from the S at 17 seconds, with massive energy at 5119, but it's blown out, marked as poor conditions. That's a kite-surfing day for sure.

The second week is more of the same, just a touch smaller. Sizes hover around 6ft to 8ft, always from the SSW, always that long period. But it never cleans up. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th of August see consistent 8ft SSW swell with energy around 3500-3800, but the cross-onshore chop ruins any real quality. It's just a frustrating run of "almost" good surf. If you're desperate and the wind is at its lightest, you can get some lumpy ones, but don't expect a classic day.

Bottom line: Monday the 10th afternoon is your one true window if you're advanced and hungry for power. Otherwise, this is a 16-day stretch of frustrating onshore winds ruining what is otherwise a solid swell period.

- Rusty

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