Tarcoola (Chanteez) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

We're looking at a solid run of south-west groundswell, but the story at Tarcoola (Chanteez) is pretty clear: this break is an advanced wave for a reason. It’s exposed to that SW direction, which is its bread and butter, and for the most part, the size is going to be too much for anyone who isn't a seasoned charger.

The water's sitting at a steady 68 °F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off for good conditions. Monday the 31st has a clean morning with light winds, but the surf forecast is marginal, with the swell already showing some energy but questionable tide conditions. Tuesday the 1st of September is the first real standout. The morning is glassy with a light offshore breeze, and we've got a powerful 6 ft SW groundswell with a long 16-second period pumping in, carrying a strong energy. This is the best session on offer in the near term – clean, powerful lines, but you'll want to be on your game. The afternoon turns to a cross-shore chop, so be an early bird.

Wednesday and Thursday (2nd and 3rd) see the energy stay high, but the winds get messy with a moderate cross-shore breeze. The waves are around the 6 ft to 7 ft mark but the conditions are only marginal. Thursday afternoon though, the wind turns offshore again, but the swell jumps to 7 ft. The data says it's too big for this break even with favorable wind, so unless you're well into the advanced category, give it a miss.

Friday the 4th through to the morning of Monday the 8th of September is where it gets serious, but also less surfable. We're looking at an absolute pulse of energy, with the combined energy reading hitting over 5000 on Tuesday the 8th and the swell solid at 10 ft. That's a massive amount of water moving. The wind on Tuesday the 8th morning is clean and offshore from the ENE, but 10 ft of SW groundswell at a very long 17-second period is a heavy, freight-train wave. Only the experts need apply. It will be big, powerful, and for this exposed beach, it might even be more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle session if you're not on a gun.

After that big pulse, the swell drops back a bit from Wednesday the 9th into the following weekend, but so does the quality. The winds turn onshore and cross-shore again, leaving the surf in the 5 ft to 7 ft range, but looking messy and choppy.

The next potential window appears around Sunday the 13th of September, where the swell energy jumps back up but again is accompanied by strong cross-shore winds. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th of September have clean offshore morning winds with a dropping swell around 8 ft to 7 ft. This is promising, but still on the bigger side for Tarcoola. The energy is still very strong.

So, the standout is clear: Tuesday the 1st of September morning. That's your window for clean, powerful, and (relatively) manageable surf. The long-range hope is Monday the 15th of September morning, with a lighter offshore breeze and a slightly friendlier 7 ft, but it's a long way out so keep an eye on it. Everything else in between is either too big, too messy, or both.

- Rusty

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