Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The surf’s been pretty quiet lately, but there’s a glimmer of hope coming through for Tankers. This is a consistent reef break that’s exposed to the south, and it’s a beginner-friendly spot, so keep that in mind. The water temp is sitting at about 80°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Right now, through the start of the period, it’s not looking great. Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th have some waist-high swell around 3ft, but it’s coming from the SW with a long 15-16 second period. Sounds good in theory, but the wind is a fresh breeze from the ENE, blowing cross-offshore. That keeps things clean, but the energy is only moderate. The scores are low, so it’s really just a marginal session at best.

Tuesday the 14th sees a little drop in size to about 2ft, but the swell shifts to the west. The wind drops to a light breeze on Tuesday morning, which is a nice touch, and the period is still a long 16 seconds. The energy is moderate. It’s a small, clean wave, but nothing to write home about.

Wednesday the 15th is a write-off with a cross-onshore breeze from the ESE making it choppy. Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th are back to clean conditions with cross-offshore winds, but the swell remains small, around 2-3ft. The energy is moderate, but it’s just not enough to get excited about.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is on Sunday the 19th. There’s a short-period 3-4ft easterly swell, but the period is a weak 8 seconds. That’s a windswell, and it’s going to be a bit bumpy. The energy picks up a bit, but the wind is cross-shore, so expect some chop.

After that, it’s a long stretch of small, clean, but uninspiring surf through the rest of the week. The waves stay around 2-3ft, with a few longer period swells from the south and SSW. The wind is mostly cross-offshore from the ENE, keeping things tidy, but the energy is moderate to weak. Nothing really stands out.

Then, hold on. On Sunday the 27th of July, things start to look interesting. The morning is still a bit cross-shore, but the afternoon of Monday the 27th is the one to watch. The wind drops to a glassy 5 km/h from the NNE. The swell is about 3ft from the SSW with a 15-second period, and the energy is solidly moderate. The conditions are described as glassy, which is a massive positive. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook. It’s a small, clean, long-period groundswell at a reef break. The waves will be well-shaped and have good energy, but because it’s a long period, it might break a bit straight, so pick your peak. Crowds are likely here, so get in early.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is mostly small and marginal. The best bet is the glassy session on Monday afternoon, July 27th. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a long way out, so the forecast is promising but not set in stone.

Rusty.

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