Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Tankers (reef). It’s a slow start, so don’t expect much for the first week or so, but there’s one day that might just save the whole outlook.

The water temp is about normal for the time of year, nothing to report there. From Sunday the 23rd through the end of August, the wind is a problem. It’s blowing from the ENE at 18-22 mph most days, which is cross-offshore, so the surface is clean, but the swell is weak. You’re looking at waves mostly under 3 ft, and when we do get a 5 ft pulse on Tuesday the 25th, it’s got a period of only 7 seconds – that’s just wind slop. The combined wave energy is moderate, hanging around 400-600, but the quality is poor. A lot of those days get flagged as “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.”

The standout is Tuesday the 1st of September. That morning, the wind drops to zero – completely glassy. We’ve got a clean 3 ft swell from the SSW with a very long 18-second period. That’s real groundswell, and the combined energy is 657, which is solid moderate energy. For a reef break, that long period is perfect – it’ll give you proper, lined-up waves. The rating is the best we see in the whole 16 days. The afternoon turns a little cross-on with a light SW breeze, so the morning is the only window.

After that, Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd drop back to 3 ft with shorter period, and the wind gets on it from the ESE and E, making things choppy. Friday the 4th brings a weird spike of 6 ft from the east with a short 8-second period, but the wind is strong cross-off, so it’ll be a bumpy, un-fun mess.

Saturday the 5th morning has a clean 5 ft east swell, but again short period (8 seconds), and the energy is moderate (526). It’s a maybe, but not a standout. Sunday the 6th has a risk of thunderstorms and straight onshore wind from the south – stay out of the water.

Monday the 7th is a weak 3 ft south swell with onshore wind. Not worth your time.

The honest take: The only real session to point your truck at is Tuesday morning, the 1st of September. That glassy, long-period groundswell at Tankers is the one. The rest is a lot of wind and small, junky waves. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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