Tea Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get into what's happening at Tea Break.

Right off the bat, I've got to be straight with you: it's a tough run ahead. We're looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions. For the next ten days or so, we've got persistent cross-shore winds and mainly small, short-period swell on offer. There's no standout session in that first week and a half; it's mostly a write-off for quality surfing. Water temp is sitting around 84°F, which is pretty normal for the time of year, nothing out of the ordinary there.

The surf energy is weak to moderate for most of this period. For example, Saturday morning the 15th sees a 5ft swell from the ENE with a short period of 8 seconds and combined energy of just 334 – not terrible, but paired with the cross breeze, it's messy. We stay in this frustrating pattern right through to the 24th, with swell heights bouncing between 2ft and 5ft but the wind just won't let up. You'll see energy numbers often below 200, like 80 on the 19th afternoon or 56 on the 22nd, which tells you it's weak.

Now, there is a glimmer of hope right at the back end. The real action, if you can call it that, starts to show on the 25th. That Tuesday morning, we get a 5ft swell from the E with 8 seconds, and the energy jumps to 539. But the afternoon is where it gets interesting – a 6ft swell from the E with a very long period of 13 seconds, pumping energy up to a serious 1353. That's a proper groundswell. Then on the 26th, the swell peaks at 7ft from the E with a 10-second period and energy at 1035. Wednesday afternoon on the 26th we finally see a shift in the wind to cross-off from the ESE, and the report calls it "clean."

That stretch from the afternoon of the 25th of August through to the 26th of August is our only true standout. For a reef break like Tea Break, that long-period groundswell (13-11 seconds) hitting 6ft to 7ft from the east with that clean wind is about as good as it gets in this bleak window. The swell is getting up there, though – at over 5ft and pushing 7ft, this is for intermediate to expert surfers only. Beginners should sit this one out. It's a consistent spot, but with crowds marked as "sometimes," expect company if it cleans up.

The second week is a toss-up; a long-range call on that Wednesday the 26th is the one to circle, but it's still a week and a half away, so keep your fingers crossed the forecast holds. After that, on the 27th, it drops back down to small and crummy again.

So, to sum it up: don't bother for the first ten days. Save your energy for the 25th and 26th of August, especially that Wednesday afternoon when the wind goes offshore. That's your window.

Rusty.

Read more