Tandjung-Lefts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’ll be straight with you—this forecast for Tandjung-Lefts is a tough one. The first decent surf doesn’t show up until Thursday afternoon, 30 July, and even then it’s a struggle. The wind is persistent and cross-onshore, so the conditions are going to be lumpy and messy for the entire run. The swell is mainly from the SSW, which is what this reef break likes, but the wind just won’t let up.

We start with almost a week of nothing. From Monday 27 July right through to the early morning of Thursday 30 July, the surf is either poor or non-existent. Swell heights are small to moderate, but that cross-onshore breeze from the ESE is trashing it. The combined energy is weak to moderate—around 745 to 1424—but it’s wasted.

The first real chance of a wave comes late Thursday 30 July, but it’s still marginal. The swell picks up to 1.4m (5 ft) from the SSW, period 15 seconds, which is a nice long groundswell. The energy is building (1424), but the wind is still cross-onshore. The water temperature is 81°F, which is about average for this time of year. It’s a spot for advanced surfers—consistent, but with crowds likely. The optimum swell direction is S, and this is coming from SSW, so it’s not perfect.

Friday 31 July and Saturday 1 August see swell sizes around 1.2m (4 ft) to 1.6m (5 ft), with periods up to 18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 1644 by Saturday afternoon. The wind eases a little to a gentle breeze, but still cross-onshore. The surf is still marginal, but it’s the best of a bad bunch so far. The early part of the swell is long-period, which can make a reef break like this one shape up nicely, but the wind is the enemy.

Sunday 2 August is the first real standout. The swell is 2.0m (7 ft) to 2.1m (7 ft) from the SSW, period 17 seconds, with combined energy hitting 2618. That’s moderate to strong energy, and the wave size is getting into expert territory. But again, the wind is cross-onshore, and the surf is only marginal. The crowd factor is likely—this is a consistent spot.

The period from Monday 3 August to Wednesday 5 August sees a slight dip in size, but the swell holds around 1.7m (6 ft) to 1.8m (6 ft), with periods of 14 to 15 seconds. The energy is still solid (1298 to 1442). The wind is still a problem, but on Monday afternoon 3 August, the wind shifts to “on” for a moment, which is a big positive. The surf is still marginal, but that’s the best wind we’ll see all forecast.

The final, and best, standout is the weekend of 8-9 August. Saturday 8 August brings a 2.2m (7 ft) to 3.0m (10 ft) SSW swell, period 19 to 20 seconds, with combined energy rocketing to 5652—very strong energy. Sunday 9 August holds 3.0m (10 ft) with period 17-18 seconds, energy still over 5000. This is big, powerful groundswell. The problem is that 3.0m (10 ft) is expert-only territory, and the wind is still cross-onshore. The surf is only rated as marginal, but the raw power is undeniable. The optimum direction is S, so this SSW swell is off-angle, but for a reef break, the long period will make it hollow and heavy. Crowds are likely.

The last few days, 10-11 August, see the swell drop back to 1.6m (5 ft) to 2.4m (8 ft), with energy fading. The best bet for a clean wave is probably Monday afternoon 3 August when the wind briefly goes offshore, but it’s a short window. Otherwise, the 8-9 August window is the biggest but comes with a cross-onshore penalty.

Rusty.

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