Tandjung-Lefts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty here.

Alright, looking at the 16-day window for Tandjung-Lefts, it's a bit of a mixed bag I'm afraid. The trade winds are blowing from the ESE and SE pretty much the whole time, which means we're stuck with a persistent cross-onshore wind. That's going to keep things choppy and messy for the most part. The water temp is sitting at 79°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The swell is coming from the SSW, which is a good direction for this spot, and it's a solid groundswell, with periods often hitting 15 to 17 seconds. The problem is that wind. We've got a fair bit of energy in the water, with the combined swell energy readings ranging from moderate to strong, often in the high 1000s and even hitting 2995 on Friday the 28th. But it's all blown out.

Let's run through the dates. For the first week, from Friday the 21st through to the 28th, the surf is consistently called "marginal" or "poor." The swell is there, between 5 ft and 7 ft, but the cross-onshore wind just chops it up. The energy is there, but the quality is not. There's a bit of a dip in energy around the 26th and 27th, with readings dropping to 938 and 859, and then it picks back up on the 28th with a 8 ft SSW swell and 2995 energy, but again, blown out.

Friday the 28th of August morning is the biggest swell of the forecast, with a 8 ft SSW groundswell at 16 seconds. That's a lot of energy (2995) and it's a long period, so it'll be powerful. But it's coming with a 12 mph cross-onshore wind, so it's going to be a choppy, challenging session. This is only for experienced surfers, and even then, the conditions are not great.

The second week sees a similar pattern. There's a slight lull in energy around the 30th and 31st, with the swell dropping to 4 ft on Monday the 31st. Then it builds again into the start of September. On Tuesday the 1st of September, we see a 6 ft SSW swell with a period of 18 seconds, and the energy jumps to 2584. That's a very long period, so it'll be a powerful, clean groundswell, but the wind is still cross-onshore. It's a similar story for Wednesday the 2nd of September, with a 7 ft SSW swell and 2997 energy, but still cross-onshore.

The best chance of something decent might be on Thursday the 5th of September, where the wind drops to a gentle breeze at 9 mph, and we have a 6 ft SSW swell with a 17-second period and 2655 energy. It's still a cross-onshore wind, but lighter, so it might be a bit cleaner. The swell is still consistent, so it's a possible window.

Look, to be honest, there's no standout day here. The wind is the enemy. The reef at Tandjung-Lefts is a consistent, fairly exposed spot that can handle a good swell, but it needs that offshore wind to really shine. With this persistent cross-onshore flow, the waves are going to be choppy and hard to ride. The crowds are "sometimes" here, so it won't be a circus, but the quality just isn't there.

If you're a real die-hard, you might get a few waves on the lighter wind days, but don't expect any magic. It's a tough run.

Rusty.

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