Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mates, Rusty here. Let’s break down what Tankers is looking like.

Gotta be honest, the next week and a half is a bit of a struggle. We have some decent energy showin’ up, but the wind and conditions just aren’t lined up for most of it. The water’s a warm 81°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off Thursday the 13th with a clean 4ft south swell running 15 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell with moderate energy (772). Sounds good on paper, but that cross-off wind is ripping at 22 mph, so it’s gonna be a fight. The conditions are just marginal from the start.

Friday the 14th is a little smaller, 4ft from the south, but that wind is still howling at 22 mph. It stays looking clean, but the score is low. By the afternoon, it’s a total washout.

The weekend gets ugly. Saturday the 15th sees the swell jump to 10ft and 12ft from the east, with a short 9-second period. That’s a lot of water moving – strong energy (1754 and 2180) – but the wind is a near gale at 31 mph. That’s not for paddle boarding. Kiting maybe. For us? No way.

Sunday the 16th is worse. 10ft from the east, risk of thunderstorms, and a strong breeze creating messy cross-chop. Total loss.

We get a tiny break Monday the 17th, with the swell dropping to 3ft from the south, long period 14 seconds, moderate energy (542). Wind is still a fresh 19 mph cross-off, keeping it clean but marginal. Not worth gettin’ excited over.

Tuesday the 18th is tiny – 3ft – and Wednesday the 19th drops even further to 2ft. The energy is weak. The wind finally eases up Wednesday to a gentle 9 mph, but there’s just no swell to work with.

Now, Thursday the 20th is where things finally turn. We’ve got 2ft of southwest groundswell, but check this – the period is an incredibly long 18 seconds, and the energy is moderate (410). The wind is a light 6 mph cross-off, making for glassy, clean conditions. That’s a real standout for a morning session. The wave quality should be there for Tankers as a reef break, and a wave that long-period will wrap in nicely.

Friday the 21st through the rest of the period is more of the same: small 2ft to 3ft swells from the southwest with very light winds. It’s consistent, but we’re not talking about any size. Clean, small surf for the patient crew.

Looking further out, around the 27th and 28th of August, we start to see the energy pick up again with strong levels (1161 to 1350), and a 4ft to 5ft east swell with a long 16-second period. The winds are moderate cross-off, which is promising, but it’s a long way off so don’t plan around it yet.

Honestly, the real standout in this whole stretch is Thursday morning the 20th. That’s the cleanest window with the best conditions. It’s not big, but the quality should be there.

Stay frothy,
Rusty.

Read more