
Surf Forecasts:
Tankers surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 21s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, SSW swell with 826 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tankers this week:
The surf forecast for Tankers over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tankers in the next 16 days are 1.2m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 10s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tankers over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Tankers over the next couple of weeks.
Straight up, this isn’t a week for the heroes. We’ve got a solid run of tiny, weak swell with a lot of wind. The first decent chance doesn’t pop up until Monday afternoon the 14th, and even then it’s pretty marginal. The water temp is sitting at a warm 82°, about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a steamer.
Sunday the 13th is a write-off. Morning has a tiny 2ft SW swell with a very long 15-second period, but it’s cross-shore and the combined energy is weak (223). The afternoon goes glassy with an even smaller 1ft SSW swell, but the energy drops right off (140). It’s surfable, just barely, but nothing to get excited about.
Monday the 14th morning stays poor with a 1.0ft swell and cross wind. The afternoon finally shows a pulse: 2ft SW swell with a 22-second period, which is a very long groundswell. The energy jumps to 324, and the wind goes light cross-offshore. It’s clean, but the size is tiny. This is the first window where you could get a fun little wave if you’re patient.
Tuesday the 15th morning is the best call in the whole outlook. Swell pushes up to 3ft from the SW with a 20-second period, and the combined energy hits 620. Wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze. It’s clean, with some push. This is the standout for the near term. Tuesday afternoon holds similar, but the wind picks up a notch.
From Wednesday the 16th through the 19th, we get stuck in a pattern of 3ft to 4ft SSW swell with moderate to fresh cross-off winds. The energy climbs into the 900s and even 1217 on Friday the 18th morning. The problem is the wind is consistently fresh, and the surf quality notes keep saying “marginal.” It’s rideable, but it’s not clean and tidy.
Then there’s a shift. On Sunday the 20th morning, we see a 6ft swell from the east, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds. That’s windswell, lumpy, and the wind is honking at 22 mph. The energy is 896, but that’s all wind. Not great for a paddle board.
After that, the 21st and 22nd drop back to tiny 3ft to 3ft swell. The 22nd afternoon is called “poor surf conditions” with a score of zero.
Now, looking at the 23rd and 24th, there’s a bit more size coming. Wednesday the 23rd morning shows a 6ft east swell with an 11-second period and energy of 1031. Still fresh cross-off wind. Thursday the 24th morning shows 7ft east swell, 9-second period, energy 1007. That’s a solid size, but that short period and fresh wind will make it messy. That’s expert territory at that size, and the quality is still “marginal” in the notes.
From the 25th through the 27th, it’s 6ft to 6ft east swell with a short 7 to 8-second period and fresh cross to cross-off winds. The 27th morning gets a “poor surf conditions” call with lumpy cross-chop. Not a good look.
Finally, the 28th shows a switch back to a 3ft to 4ft SSW groundswell with a long 17-second period and moderate cross-off winds. That could clean up, but the energy is still moderate (944).
Honestly, if you’re surfing Tankers, the only real window to paddle out and have a clean, fun session is Tuesday morning the 15th. That 3ft SW groundswell with light wind is your best bet. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too short-period and lumpy. For the bigger days around the 23rd and 24th, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing with that short-period east windswell and strong wind.
Keep an eye on it, though. It tends not to stay poor for long.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 26°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 24 | SW 22 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | E 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
84 | 134 | 87 | 227 | 224 | 557 | 480 | 535 | 541 | 541 | 510 | 322 | 371 | 826 | 615 | 675 | 635 | 493 | 512 | 295 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:46PM0.48m | 5:51AM0.63m | 5:07PM0.41m | 6:35AM0.62m | 5:22PM0.36m | 7:27AM0.60m | 5:15PM0.31m | 8:35AM0.57m | 10:01AM0.57m | 11:19AM0.58m | 11:43PM0.23m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 10:57PM0.08m | 12:14PM0.24m | 11:18PM0.09m | 1:19PM0.28m | 11:41PM0.11m | 3:06PM0.30m | 00:08AM0.13m | 00:43AM0.16m | 1:55AM0.18m | 8:04PM0.21m | ||||||||||
— | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
6:37 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 22 | ENE 5 | SW 20 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | E 8 | SSW 17 | E 8 | SSW 15 | E 8 | SSW 14 |
84 | 134 | 76 | 227 | 28 | 557 | 480 | 535 | 541 | 541 | 510 | 322 | 371 | 826 | 291 | 675 | 213 | 493 | 219 | 173 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | NE 8 | NE 9 | SSW 14 | SW 21 | E 6 | SSW 12 | E 11 | E 10 | SW 11 | E 10 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSE 10 | SSW 17 | SSE 8 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 16 |
56 | 18 | 19 | 74 | 224 | 15 | 58 | 38 | 52 | 31 | 71 | 216 | 214 | 10 | 615 | 24 | 635 | 162 | 512 | 264 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | SW 24 | SW 24 | NE 8 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | E 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 8 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SSE 10 | WSW 10 | SSE 10 | WSW 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 18 | SSW 15 |
6 | 87 | 87 | 11 | 68 | 41 | 44 | 37 | 34 | 5 | 31 | 28 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 162 | 150 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 5 | ENE 5 | E 6 | ENE 10 | E 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 10 | E 9 | — | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | — | E 8 |
59 | 38 | 10 | 15 | 49 | 32 | 21 | 28 | 41 | 320 | 135 | 219 | 579 | 412 | — | 264 | 333 | 251 | — | 295 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 149 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Oahu | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tankers Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tankers provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tankers can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tankers surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Tankers) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Tankers may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Tankers is 5 km (3 miles) from Makakilo City. If you plan a vacation in Oahu, look for hotels and other accommodation in Makakilo City. Makakilo City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










