Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for your local stretch.

First up, the water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, which is no surprise. Nothing weird going on there.

Honestly, it’s a pretty quiet run ahead. There’s almost nothing to get excited about for the first week, and the surf that does show is small and lacking punch. You’ve got a long gap where the conditions are just too poor to bother paddling out. The only real standout I can see is the morning of Sunday the 12th, and even that is marginal. Let’s break it down.

We’ve got a bit of swell starting Saturday the 4th at Tankers (reef), with waist-high waves around 2 ft to 3 ft coming from the south and south-southwest. The period is very long, over 20 seconds on the Saturday morning, which at a reef break like Tankers can actually be a good thing – long period groundswell wraps in nicely. The combined energy sits at 721 (Saturday morning) to 727 (Sunday morning), which is moderate wave energy (moderate). The wind is a steady cross-off from the east-northeast at 19 mph, keeping things clean. But the call is “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions”, and the scores reflect that – it’s not the kind of day to drop everything and go. Crowds are possible here as it’s often busy.

From Monday the 6th right through to Friday the 10th, the surf drops right off. Swell heights slip from 3 ft down to 1 ft, periods shorten, and the wave energy plummets into the weak range (below 200 on some days). The wind stays fresh and cross-off, but there’s simply not enough swell to make it worthwhile. That’s a solid five-day gap where I wouldn’t bother waxing up.

Things start to perk up a little on Saturday the 11th and into Sunday the 12th. On Sunday morning, the 12th of July, we see the best of the run: 3 ft from the south-southwest, with a period of 16 seconds (groundswell), combined energy of 587 (moderate), and a gentle breeze from the east-northeast at only 9 mph – light and clean. That’s your best window. The break quality is still described as marginal, but it’s the closest we get to a decent session. The wind is good, the sets will have some shape. Crowds are possible here.

From the 13th onwards, the swell holds around 3 ft but the direction swings westerly mid-week, and the period stays around 15-16 seconds. The combined energy sits in the moderate range, and the wind stays mostly cross or cross-off. The problem is that every session is flagged as marginal or poor, with only a few mornings getting a slightly better nod. The afternoon of the 17th even shows a 4 ft easterly swell, but with a short period of 8 seconds that’s mostly windswell – not ideal for shape.

So, wrap it up. If you’re keen, Sunday morning the 12th at Tankers is your best bet. Small but clean with that long-period south-southwest swell and light offshore-ish wind. Otherwise, sit tight – the whole two weeks are underwhelming, with a long five-day gap of nothing in the first week. No big swells, no standout sessions.

Rusty.

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