Tandjung-Lefts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got one spot on the radar for the next couple of weeks, and to be honest, it’s a tough one to call a winner.

The whole 16-day window is a bit of a struggle. The swell is hanging around, but the wind is the real problem. Starting from Monday, July 20th, we’ve got a solid SSW groundswell pumping in, with a long period of 17 seconds and around 6ft of swell. The energy is strong, sitting at 2272, so there’s plenty of push. But the wind is howling from the ESE at 16 mph, smacking straight across the face. It’s a cross-on mess, and the report says it’s choppy. That’s not what we want for a clean wave.

The water is warm at 81°, and it’s about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

This pattern sticks around for days. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – all the same story. The swell drops a bit, dipping to 4ft by Wednesday, but the wind stays pinned from the ESE at 16 mph. It’s persistent cross-on choppy conditions. The energy drops into the moderate range, with values around 620 to 742, which is fine, but the wind just ruins the surface.

Friday the 24th, the swell drops even further to 3ft, but the period stretches back out to 17 seconds. The energy is still moderate at 773, but with that light swell and the same 16 mph cross-on wind, it’s a skunky, blown-out mess. Not worth paddling out for.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th sees a bump in size. Saturday morning we get 4ft at 15 seconds, with energy at 1015. But again, cross-on wind. Sunday the 26th, the swell jumps to 7ft, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds, and the wind picks up to 19-22 mph. That’s a lumpy, chaotic ocean. The wave energy is moderate at 836, but with that short period and strong wind, it’s more of a kiteboarding session than a surf session.

Monday the 27th is interesting. The wind actually turns offshore (onshore) for the morning, but the swell is only 5ft with a short 8-second period. The energy is low at 455. It’s clean, but the waves will be weak and disorganised. Not the standout.

The rest of the run is a repeat of the same. The wind is relentless from the ESE, and the swell is mostly in the 3ft to 5ft range, with periods from 13 to 17 seconds. The energy bounces around from 568 up to 1606, but every single session is marked as “poor surf conditions” or “marginal” at best. The best score we see all window is a 2 out of 10, on the morning of Friday, July 31st. That morning, the wind drops to 6 mph, and we get a 5ft SSW swell at 14 seconds with energy at 1445. It’s still cross-on, but the light breeze makes it look a bit more rideable. That’s probably the closest we get to a window.

The final week, into August, is more of the same. The swell holds around 3ft to 5ft, period is decent at 14-17 seconds, but that cross-on wind never lets up. The wave energy runs from 694 to 1100, but the wind kills it.

Look, if you’re desperate, the morning of Friday, July 31st is your best bet. The swell is 5ft from the SSW, period is 14 seconds, and the wind is light. It’s still cross-on, but it’s the cleanest option in a very long, grim run. For the rest of it, the wind is the boss, and it’s not playing nice. Tandjung-Lefts is a reef break, so it handles the swell, but it needs the wind to cooperate, and it just doesn’t.

Hang in there. Forecasts can change, but this one’s a real test of patience.

Rusty.

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