Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Tankers over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it's a bit of a rough start. The first few days have some size, but the conditions are a mess. We kick off on Sunday the 6th of September with a 6ft swell from the east, but it's getting battered by a 19 mph cross-shore wind, leaving it lumpy and chunky – not what you want. The combined energy is a hefty 1840 (moderate to strong), but it's just not clean. The afternoon cleans up a touch with a cross-offshore breeze, but it's still only a marginal call.

Monday the 7th sees a bigger 7ft south-west groundswell rolling in (period 14 seconds, energy a whopping 3514), but the wind is howling again. The morning is lumpy cross-shore, and by the afternoon a 19 mph cross-onshore destroys it, giving it a zero score – it's a write-off. Tuesday the 8th is even worse, with onshore winds making it a complete no-go.

Then we hit a lull. From Wednesday the 9th right through to Sunday the 14th, the swell drops right off – we're talking 1ft to 3ft. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing to write home about. The winds are cleaner, with some cross-offshore and even glassy conditions on Monday the 14th morning (3 mph, slight air), but there's just no energy to work with. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 300 most of that time. It's a real blank run, and for this spot, that's not unusual when the swell window shuts down.

Things start to look a bit more promising from Monday afternoon the 14th. A very long-period 22-second south-west groundswell sneaks in, only 2ft, but the energy jumps to 302. The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it's small and bumpy, but it's a sign of life. From Tuesday the 15th onwards, we see a consistent run of south-west groundswells, building a little in size. The standout is probably Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th. Saturday afternoon has a 4ft south-west swell (period 16 seconds, energy 841) with a clean cross-offshore breeze from the east-northeast at 19 mph. Sunday is very similar with 4ft and the same clean wind. These are the best on offer – clean, lined-up waves with that long-period energy, but it's still only marginal in size. The swell direction is south-west, which is the optimum direction for Tankers, so the reef should handle it well. Just be aware, crowds are likely here on a consistent day.

Overall, this is a patchy outlook. The first week is a washout, then we get a week of tiny waves, before a few cleaner but still small days show up in the second week. The Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th are your best bets for a paddle, but keep expectations in check.

Rusty.

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