Tandjung-Lefts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cookin’ at Tandjung-Lefts.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a tough watch for this spot. The water’s sitting at a warm 80° Fahrenheit, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – no crazy temp anomalies here. But the wind, oh the wind, it’s almost always coming across from the east or southeast, putting us in a cross-onshore position. That means choppy, messy conditions most days.

For Sunday the 13th, the swell is there but it’s a struggle. We’ve got a solid groundswell from the SSW pushing 6 ft on the morning, with a very long period of 18 seconds and combined energy up at 2106. That’s a lot of grunt. But with that 20 km/h cross-onshore breeze, it’s choppy and the report says it’s marginal at best. The afternoon stays similar, 6 ft swell, 17-second period, but still that same onshore wind. Not really one to get excited about.

Monday the 14th is a write-off. Swell drops a touch, but that wind stays up, and the conditions are just poor. The sea’s all chop and no shape. This pattern holds all the way through to about Wednesday the 16th – periods between 14 and 16 seconds keep the swell quality high in theory, but the wind just kills it. You’ll be paddling into a mess.

There’s a glimmer of hope around Thursday the 17th morning. A gentle breeze drops the wind a notch, and we’ve still got 6 ft SSW swell at 14 seconds. Combined energy is 1472. It’s still cross-onshore though, so it’s only fair. The report says “marginal.” Not epic, but the best we’ve seen in days.

Friday the 18th is similar – gentle winds keep it from being a total loss, but the swell drops to 5 ft and the energy fades. The weekend of the 20th and 21st sees a small bump in swell, back up around 6 ft, but we’re still dealing with that darn cross-onshore breeze. It’s consistent but not clean.

Now, if you’re looking for the absolute best chance in this outlook, I’d keep your eye on Thursday the 25th afternoon. The swell jumps to 7 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds – that’s some serious energy at 2966. And for once, the wind swings to a cross-shore direction with only a gentle breeze. That’s light cross-chop, which at this reef could actually shape up nicely. This is the standout. It’s a long way out, so treat it as a promising but not locked-in call. Crowds are listed as “sometimes” around here, so you might not have it to yourself, but for this break, that’s a decent shot.

After that, Saturday the 26th hangs in there with 6 ft swell but the cross-onshore reappears. By Sunday the 27th and into the 28th, the energy and swell drop off hard, and we’re back to poor, choppy conditions. The window closes.

So, bottom line: there’s swell all through, but that wind is the enemy. The one real standout is the afternoon of Thursday the 25th. Everything else is a case of “maybe if you’re desperate.”

Rusty.

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