Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf’s up, or at least it’s trying to be.

The next couple of weeks here at Tankers are going to test your patience. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty marginal, small surf ahead. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit. It’s a reef break, so it needs a bit of size to get going, and we just don't have much of that on the menu for a while.

Starting off this Monday and Tuesday, we're looking at tiny 2ft SSW swell. The wind is cross-offshore and clean, which is nice, but there's just not enough push. The energy is weak, with a combined reading of 452 and 572, so you’ll be bobbing around more than riding. Honestly, it's a skunk session for most.

Wednesday and Thursday bring a slight bump, with the swell nudging up to 3ft from the S, and the period stretching out to 18 seconds. That energy kicks up a bit to around 1013 and 1131, which is moderate. It’s still looking pretty weak and the wind is a bit stronger, but it might be the most rideable of this first stretch. Don't get too excited, the scores are still low.

By Friday and into the weekend, we see the swell mix up a little but the period drops right off to 8-10 seconds. That short-period windswell is 4ft on Friday, building to 6ft by Saturday afternoon, and the energy kicks up to 733-864. The problem is, it’s coming from the east and the winds go a bit messy, which isn't ideal for this spot. It’s gonna be a bit of a mess.

Then on Sunday the 16th, we’ve got a proper storm warning. The wind is expected to be screaming onshore at 43 mph, with a risk of thunderstorms. The swell might be 6ft, but it's going to be completely unsurfable. That’s a day to stay on the beach.

Monday the 17th is a write-off too. The swell is still up around 6ft, but the wind is onshore, creating a choppy, cross-onshore mess. You’re better off just watching the chaos from the sand. This stretch is likely more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers.

We then hit a real dead patch from the 18th through the 23rd. The swell just fades away to nothing, dropping to 1ft, and the energy is super weak in the low hundreds. There are a few clean windows with that light ENE cross-off, but with zero size, there’s no point. The 20th might look like it has "good surf conditions," but at 2ft, that just means the ocean looks pretty, not that it's rideable.

Finally, we get a glimmer of hope in the distance. On Tuesday the 25th, the swell looks like it starts to rebuild. We're looking at 4ft from the S with a 17-second period, and the energy is climbing to 848. It’s still a week away, so the details will change, but it’s the first sign of life you’d want to get excited about. It's a promising, long-range tease, but we'll see if it materializes.

So, bottom line: the next week and a half is mostly a bust. The only real window where you might get a wave is Wednesday and Thursday, and even then, it’s a struggle. Hold tight for that last few days; there might be something worth paddling out for.

Rusty.

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