Tarpits Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on the cards for us. Gotta be straight with you from the start – it’s gonna be a real patience tester. The next couple of weeks are mostly a write-off for anything decent, but there’s a tiny glimmer of hope right at the very end of the forecast period.

We’re looking at a long, long gap of poor to marginal conditions. From now, through the rest of August and into the first days of September, it’s a whole lot of nothing. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1.0 ft to 1 ft, and the wind, while often light, is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, which just messes up what little energy there is. The combined swell energy is weak to moderate, struggling to reach triple digits, and it’s just not doing anything for Tarpits. You’d be wasting your time getting wet.

The second week of the forecast doesn't offer much hope either. A little bump in swell height around the 31st of August and 1st of September, hitting about 4 ft to 5 ft, but it’s short-period windswell (around 5-7 seconds) with poor wind. That’s just a messy, choppy combo. Not good for a paddle, and honestly, with the beach-and-reef setup here and that strong wind, this looks way more interesting for kite surfing than a traditional surf.

Now, the standout, and I mean the only one on the horizon. Mark this one in your calendar for Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th of September. Finally, the stars align a bit. The wind is forecast to swing around to the east-southeast and southeast, giving us a crisp *cross-offshore* breeze. That’s clean. The swell direction from the SSW is perfect for Tarpits, and while the height is only 2 ft, the period stretches to a very long 17-18 seconds. This is groundswell, folks. That long period means it’s got real shape and power for its size, and combined swell energy is strong at around 450. This is that window where a smaller wave with perfect wind and a long period is way more fun than a bigger, blown-out mess. The water temperature is sitting about 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year, which is very unusual – it’ll feel like a warm bath out there.

So, there it is. A whole lot of dry spells for one small, very promising window. The long-range call is always less certain, but if the wind holds, those two days on the 4th and 5th of September will be the ones to go for.

Stay patient, catch you in the water when it turns on.

Rusty.

Read more