Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's coming up for Tankers.

Mate, it's a bit of a slow burner. We've got a long stretch of small, clean, cross-off wind conditions, but the swell just isn't there for the first week and a half. The water's sitting about average for the time of year, so no wetsuit surprises. The real action, if you can call it that, is a long way off.

From Saturday the 29th of August right through to the 1st of September, it's a write-off. The swell is tiny, around 2ft to 2ft, even though it's coming from a clean south direction with solid periods upwards of 13 seconds. The wave energy is weak to moderate (247 to 485), and it's just not enough to push through. The cross-off breeze from the ENE keeps the surface clean, but there's no power in the water.

Things start to whisper to life mid-week, but it's still marginal. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd of September see the swell nudge up to 3ft to 3ft from the south, with periods holding in the 14 to 16-second range. The energy picks up a bit (508 to 563), but it's still not enough to get excited about. The wind stays a clean cross-off, so it's a nice paddle if you just want to get wet.

The first real glimmer comes on Friday the 4th of September. Swell jumps to 4ft from the east, mixed with the south swell, kicking the combined energy up to 747 (moderate). It's still marginal, but the winds are light and cross-off. It's a step in the right direction.

Then we hit the second week. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September offer consistent 3ft to 4ft easterly swell, but the period is dropping to 11-12 seconds. The energy is ramping up (546 to 854), and the wind stays clean. It's still not a standout, but it's surfable.

Now, here's the big one. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th of September get a pulse of east swell hitting 7ft and 8ft. That's a heavy wave for most, pushing into expert territory. The energy is strong (1425 to 1477), but the period is short (8-10 seconds). That's a choppy, sectiony, closed-out beach break setup. For a reef like Tankers, that short-period east swell won't form the best lines. The wind is cross-off, which is a bonus, but the quality won't be there for a paddle surfer. If you're into kite surfing, this setup would be a lot more interesting.

The true standout of the whole 16-day window is Friday the 11th of September. We get a long-period, 20-second groundswell from the west, pushing 4ft. The combined energy is a strong 1536. The wind goes glassy out of the southwest in the afternoon. This is the one. The water will be clean, the waves will have real push, and that long period will draw nice lines across the reef. It's a long way out, so take it as a promising but less certain call, but if it lines up, it's the best shot we've got.

The following Saturday the 12th has some leftover west swell, but the wind gets lumpy and the size drops. It's a fade-out.

So, in short: a whole lot of flat, one day of big, short-period mush, and one very promising glassy session on the 11th of September. Keep an eye on that one.

Rusty.

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