Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, Tuesday the 18th is pretty gutless. We’ve got a tiny 3ft of south swell rolling in, but it’s got some juice behind it with the energy reading 416. Water temp is sitting at 81°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year. Still, with scores that low, it’s marginal at best. The wind is cross-offshore from the east, which keeps it clean, but there’s just not enough push to get excited about. You’d be fighting for scraps.

Wednesday morning the 19th looks a touch cleaner with lighter winds, but the swell drops to 2ft. It’s a similar story – clean but small. You might get a few fun little ones if you’re on a longboard and just want to be out there. The energy is moderate, around 306. Thursday the 20th is the first real glimmer. The swell stays small but the wind goes totally glassy in the afternoon, which is a huge positive. That 2ft SW swell with a 17-second period is proper groundswell, and with the energy at 399 it’s got a bit of life. It’ll be clean and lined up on the reef, but it’s still small. For a beginner, this is probably your best bet early on.

Friday the 21st is a step back. The wind swings onshore in the morning and it just gets messy. The swell is still around 3ft but the quality is gone. Don’t bother.

Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are frustrating. We get a spike in size – up to 7ft on Sunday – but it’s all short-period windswell from the east with a period of just 7 seconds. That’s junky, breaking all over the place. The energy does jump up into the strong zone (712 on Sunday morning), but it’s pretty much unsurfable on this reef with that shape. The wind is a solid cross-off at 22-25 mph, making it clean but blown-out. Honestly, this stretch looks better for a kite than a paddle.

Monday the 24th keeps that lumpy, short-period east swell in the 6ft range. It’s all over 700 for energy, but the 7-second period means it’s still a mess. We’re in a bit of a dead zone.

The middle of the week, Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th, sees the wind swell fade and a proper SSW groundswell tries to build back in. Tuesday morning is small again, but the afternoon bumps to 4ft with a 12-second period and the energy jumps to a strong 810. Wednesday morning looks a little better with 4ft and an 11-second period, energy at 960. The wind is cross-off, so it’ll be clean. This is more like it. It won’t be huge, but the quality is there. It’s a solid choice for a session.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th hold in that same range – around 3ft, with 11-16 second periods and moderate energy in the 500-700 range. Nothing special, but with that consistent cross-off wind, it’ll be rideable and clean. It’s a bit of a grind, but there are waves to be had.

Then we get to the real standout on the horizon. It’s still a week and a half out, so don’t book the day off yet, but Sunday the 30th of August is looking like the pick of the fortnight. The swell bumps up to 8ft from the east with an 8-second period, and the energy just explodes – 1728 in the morning and 1966 in the afternoon. That is some serious power. The wind stays cross-off from the ENE, which will keep the face reasonably clean. But that 8ft is pushing into expert territory, and with a short period, it’s going to be heavy and shifty. For the experienced crew on the reef, this could be charging.

Monday the 31st holds that energy, with a big 8ft south swell and a 12-second period. Energy readings of 2232 are off the charts – that’s a very strong, powerful groundswell. The wind is cross-off, so it should be clean, but this is a serious, powerful swell. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

After that, into Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd of September, it looks like it settles back down to a more manageable 5-5ft with 12-13 second periods and strong energy in the 1200-1300 range. The wind stays offshore and light, so those final days are looking like a quality, solid finale to the window. It’s a promising couple of weeks overall, with a real peak at the end. Just wait for the periods to stretch out and the east windswell to back off.

Rusty.

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