Tankers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what Tankers is shaping up to offer over the next few weeks. Straight up, I’ll be honest with you—it’s not looking like a classic run. We’ve got plenty of swell on the cards, but the wind and conditions are going to make it a real battle to find clean waves for most of this outlook.

Overall Pattern

For the first week and a half, the story is mostly one of persistent cross-offshore winds from the east-northeast. While that wind direction is favourable for keeping the surface clean, it’s blowing pretty hard—often a fresh breeze or stronger. The swell is coming in from a long-period southerly direction (16 to 18 seconds), which is a classic groundswell. That long period means the waves will have plenty of push and shape, but the south direction isn’t a perfect match for a break that wants it more from the south-east. On top of that, the combined energy readings are moderate to strong, sitting between 1029 and 2590 (depending on the day), so there’s definitely power in the water. The challenge is the wind strength.

We do get a short window right at the end of the forecast, around Saturday 22nd and into the start of the following week, where the wind finally drops off. That’s the part worth paying attention to.

Wednesday 12th August – Wednesday 19th August

It kicks off on Wednesday morning with a 3.3 ft south swell at 18 seconds, but with a moderate breeze from the east-northeast at 16 mph. It’s clean, but the scores aren't great. The swell is small and the wind is just a bit too punchy. The water temp is sitting at 81.1°F with a slight positive anomaly of 1.1°F, so it’s a touch warmer than average for this time of year—nothing wild, just a pleasant tropical feel.

Thursday and Friday see the swell bumping up slightly to 4.3 ft, but the wind gets stronger—19 to 22 mph. The combined energy drops a little, and the period shortens to 14-16 seconds. It’s still clean on the surface, but the wind is making it tough for anything truly enjoyable. The energy is moderate (771 to 986), but it feels like a lot of effort for not much reward.

Then we hit a real rough patch from Saturday 15th through to Tuesday 18th. The swell builds significantly—8.2 ft on Saturday, jumping to 11.5 ft on Sunday morning. That’s expert territory, no doubt. But the wind is the killer. On Saturday, it’s a strong breeze of 25-28 mph, and by Sunday it’s a near gale at 37 mph. There’s a risk of thunderstorms and moderate rain. The combined energy shoots up to 2590 on Sunday morning, which is very strong, but with that much wind and a short 10-second period, the quality is poor. Sunday afternoon swings onshore from the southeast at 25 mph, turning it into a messy, choppy mess. That kind of setup at a reef break with big, wind-affected swell? Honestly, it looks more like a kite surfing day than a paddle session.

Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th stay small to moderate (2.3 ft to 4.6 ft), but the wind remains a problem—cross-onshore on Monday and still a moderate breeze on Tuesday. The energy is low to moderate. Not worth paddling out for.

Thursday 20th August – End of Outlook

On Thursday 20th morning, we finally get a little relief. The swell drops right back to 2.3 ft from the south-west, but the period is a nice long 18 seconds. The wind is down to a gentle breeze of 9 mph from the east-northeast. The energy is moderate (466). It’s a small, clean window, but nothing to write home about.

The Standout

If there’s one session to circle on your calendar, it’s Saturday 22nd August in the afternoon. That’s the moment it all comes together. The wind drops to almost nothing—a slight air from the north at just 3 mph. The surf report says “glassy,” and that’s exactly what it is. The swell is small, 2.3 ft from the south-west at 15 seconds, but with glassy conditions and a combined energy of 319 (moderate), it will be clean and fun. Tankers can be consistent, but it’s a beginner-friendly reef break, so with light crowds being possible, that afternoon window is the pick of the bunch. The crowd situation can be “often,” so don’t expect to have it to yourself, but with conditions that good, it’s worth sharing.

For the rest of the second week, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th have a small cross-off wind and 3.0 ft to 3.3 ft swell from the south-south-west. The energy is moderate (595-620). It’s not terrible, but not a standout. The wind stays moderate, and the swell direction is better for Tankers, but it’s nothing special. Wednesday 26th has a fresh breeze and 3.9 ft swell with a moderate energy reading of 1048—clean, but still not a classic.

Overall, it’s

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