Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, strap in. It’s gonna be a bit of a flat, frustrating stretch for us at Tankers for the next few days. The swell is just not showing much love. We’ve got some weak energy in the water – combined energy sitting around 524 through the 15th – and it’s just gonna be small, slow, and underwhelming. That 3ft of SSW swell with a 19-second period is just too long for this setup at the beach break; it’s gonna be breaking too straight, not giving us much push. You’ll see some ripple but honestly, don’t get your hopes up for the 15th. Tuesday afternoon is basically a write-off.

Come the 16th and 17th, we’re still in the same holding pattern. Small 3ft SSW swell, but the period drops a touch to 18, then 16 seconds. The energy stays moderate – 627 and up to 671 by Thursday arvo – but it’s still not enough to get us excited. The cross-offshore ENE wind will keep the face clean, which is nice, but the surf is super marginal. It’s a frustrating combo: clean but weak. You’ll see a few salvageable shoulders, but nothing worth scrambling for.

Friday the 18th is the first little pulse. The morning shows 4ft of SSW swell, period 17 seconds, and the energy pushes into three digits – 1037 – so it’s moderate at best. Still, it’s the best of a bad week. The ENE wind at 35 km/h is cross-off, so it’s clean, but that size is just enough to make it interesting for a few waves. But don’t get too excited because Friday arvo drops to a poor 0 rating – the conditions are just not lining up.

Saturday and Sunday (19th and 20th) are still in the same vein – up to 3ft – but Sunday morning tries a cheeky 7ft blip from the east with a 7-second period. That’s short period junk, and the energy is moderate, but that steer from the east is not great for Tankers. The fresh breeze will be on it. Honestly, it’s more of a messy, bumpy one. The afternoon brings it back down to 3ft, but it’s still poor.

The start of the next week – the 21st and 22nd – sees the swell drop again and energy tank. Monday morning is 3ft but by the arvo it’s barely 3ft and the energy falls to 299. That’s weak. Tuesday the 22nd does pick up a bit of east swell – 6ft and 6ft – but with a 9-second period, it’s just not the right shape. The ENE cross-off wind is still there, but the east angle is wrong for us.

Finally, Wednesday the 23rd is the one to circle. This is the standout. After a solid stretch of nothing, we finally get some life. The afternoon is the gem: some clouds, a glassy 5 km/h NNW wind, and a solid 6ft of east swell with a 9-second period. The energy is moderate at 902. That glassy, clean surface is the key. This is the best we’ve got – a proper clean, hollow-ish wave on the reef, not the beach. For a surfer who knows Tankers, this is the pick of the whole window. But remember, this is a reef spot, and it’s not a beginner wave. At 6ft, it’s pushing into more serious territory.

After that, Thursday the 24th is a letdown. The swell is up to 8ft in the morning but it’s a short-period E swell at 8 seconds, with a cross-on wind – that’s a messy, lumpy mess, and the risk of thunderstorms in the arvo seals the deal. Stay out of the water unless you’re keen for a fight.

The end of the run – from the 25th through the 30th – is pretty grim. Swell drops back to sub-3ft, the period wanders from 15 to 17 seconds, and the energy stays moderate but weak. The wind is stuck in that ENE cross-off pattern, but the surf is just not there. The 25th has a brief 6ft blip from the east, but it’s a 7-second period, so it’s junk. It’s a long, flat tail to the period.

So, bottom line: if you want waves, make a plan for Wednesday the 23rd arvo. That’s the one. The rest of the time, Tankers is going to be slow, weak, and frustrating. There’s a lot of waiting involved.

Alright, stay stoked, be patient, and I’ll see you out there when it turns on.

Rusty.

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