Tandjungs-Rights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been watching this coastline like a hawk. There’s a steady SSW groundswell pouring in across the whole 16-day window, but the wind is the real story here, and it’s not a good one. Almost every day brings a cross-onshore from the SE or ESE, leaving the surf choppy and messy. The water temp sits at 80°, which is about normal for this time of year.

The only break in the game is Tandjungs-Rights (Tandjung-Rights). It’s a very consistent, advanced reef break that’s fairly exposed to the S swell, and the optimum direction is S, so that SSW pulse is right on target. Crowds are possible, but nothing crazy. The problem? From the start on 10 September all the way through, the wind is almost always cross-onshore. Swell heights range from about 4 ft to 7 ft, with periods mostly between 14 and 18 seconds – that’s proper long-period groundswell, which packs some punch and should shape up nicely on a reef, but the wind just trashes it. Combined swell energy is mostly moderate to strong, with numbers like 1777, 2032, and 2037, but that power is wasted in the chop.

The first week, from Thursday 10 September to around Wednesday 16 September, is a real struggle. The scores are low – most sessions are 'marginal' or 'poor'. Thursday morning starts with 6 ft swell from the SSW at 15 seconds, with 15 km/h SE cross-onshore – it’s choppy and ugly. Friday 11 September, Saturday 12 September, Sunday 13 September – rinse and repeat. The best of a bad bunch might be Saturday 12 September morning, with a slightly smaller 5 ft swell and lighter 15 km/h wind, but still cross-onshore and scoring a 1 out of 10.

Things don’t improve much in the second week. Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 September see a dip in swell size and still poor conditions. Then on Saturday 20 September morning, we finally get a score of 2 – still not good, but the wind drops to 10 km/h from the SE, giving a light cross-onshore with small wind ripples. Swell is 6 ft from the SSW at 16 seconds, with combined energy of 1434 – moderate power. That’s about as close to a standout as we get, but it’s still not clean.

From 21 to 25 September, the pattern holds: cross-onshore wind, swell around 5 ft to 7 ft, and periods occasionally hitting 19 seconds (like on Tuesday 22 September afternoon, though that’s only 3 ft – very long period, but the wind spoils it). Combined energy peaks on Wednesday 23 September morning at 2461 – strong wave energy – but the SE cross-onshore won’t let up. Thursday 24 September morning offers a slightly lighter 10 km/h ESE wind, light cross-onshore with small ripples, and 7 ft swell at 15 seconds – maybe the next best moment, but still not glassy.

The final day, Friday 25 September morning, shows 10 km/h SE wind, light cross-onshore, with 7 ft SSW swell at 14 seconds and combined energy of 1670 – moderate. It’s the least bad cross-onshore we get.

Overall, this is a rough stretch for paddle surfing. The reef can handle the size – 7 ft is solid for experts – but the wind just won’t cooperate. If you’re a kite surfer, that steady cross-onshore with solid swell might actually look appealing. For the rest of us, I’d hold off. The last few days hint at lighter breezes, but they’re still cross-onshore. Keep watching – things can turn.

That’s all from me. Rusty.

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