Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

First off, the water temperature is 81°F, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year. Nothing unusual there.

The next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We've got a real rough start. Tuesday morning is a write-off with 8ft of SSW swell, but it's coming in with a cross-onshore wind at 18 mph, making it lumpy and poor. That's a lot of energy (2378), but it's blown out. Tuesday afternoon is a little smaller at 7ft, but still choppy. Honestly, for a beginner, that 8ft is too big, and 7ft is pushing it with the wind.

Things start to settle down on Wednesday. The morning is still a bit cross-onshore, but the swell drops to 3ft. The real highlight in the near term is Wednesday afternoon – the wind drops to glassy, totally calm. The swell is still 3ft from the SSW, but with a long period of 13 seconds, it's a proper groundswell. That's a solid little window of clean, fun surf on the reef. The energy is moderate (296), but it's the best quality we'll see for a few days.

Thursday and Friday stay small, around 2ft to 2ft, but the wind turns cross-offshore, keeping things clean. Not a lot of push, but if you're on a longboard, you'll find a wave. The long period (16-18 seconds) means the sets will be spaced out but have good shape.

The weekend looks small and a bit ordinary. Saturday morning has a cross-shore wind that will mess up the 2ft swell. The afternoon cleans up a bit, but still only 2ft.

From Sunday the 14th right through to the middle of the week starting the 16th, we're in a small, clean period with swell hanging around 1ft to 3ft. The standout in this stretch is Wednesday, 16th September, afternoon. The wind is light cross-offshore, the report says "very good surf conditions" with a 3ft SSW swell and a long period of 18 seconds. The energy is moderate (654), but it should be clean and lined up for a reef.

After that, the wind picks up. From Friday the 18th through to the end of the forecast, we see a lot of fresh breeze, 18 to 22 mph, from the ENE. The swell stays small, mostly 2ft to 4ft. While the wind is cross-offshore, keeping it clean, the energy is moderate to strong (over 700 in some cases), but the size is too small for the wind to make it really good. Saturday, 19th September, might offer a few rides in the morning with 3ft, but it's going to be a battle against the wind.

Overall, the best bet is that Wednesday afternoon, September 9th for the glassy conditions, and Wednesday afternoon, September 16th for the cleanest, longest period swell. The rest is a lot of small, clean, but weak surf, with a few rough days to start. If you're a beginner, stick to the days under 5ft, and the 3ft days with light wind will be your best friend.

- Rusty

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