Tea Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Tea Break. To be straight with you, it’s a pretty tough stretch ahead. This is a consistent reef break that’s exposed to the swell, and it likes an optimum swell from the NNE, but what we’re seeing is a long run of easterly wind and swell that just ain’t lining up right.

Right from the start on Saturday, September 5th, we’ve got poor surf conditions. The morning shows a small 3ft easterly swell with a short 8-second period, combined energy is weak at 92, and it’s got a cross-shore wind. The afternoon bumps up a touch to 3ft, but the energy is still only moderate (133) and the wind is stronger. The wave comment is poor, and it stays that way day after day. Sunday the 6th is even smaller in the morning at 2ft, and the afternoon gets a bit of height at 4ft but the period drops to 5 seconds – that’s just wind chop. The energy is low (87). This pattern of marginal, cross-shore wind and short-period swell just keeps rolling through the first week. Monday the 7th afternoon sees 5ft but with a 6-second period and a risk of thunderstorms, and the energy hits 174, which is moderate, but the quality is still poor.

The whole first week is a write-off for quality surfing. The wind is cross-shore the entire time, mostly from the east, and the swell is either too small or too short-period to do anything with. Even when the swell gets up to 5ft on Wednesday the 9th or 7ft on Friday the 11th, the period is short (6 seconds) and the wind is fresh and lumpy. The energy on Friday the 11th afternoon is strong at 336, but it’s just a messy, choppy wall of water. For a reef break, you want clean lines, and this is a long way from that.

We hit a real low point on Sunday the 13th morning with a tiny 0.3ft swell from the NE – barely a ripple. The window then goes through another week of the same story: small to moderate easterly swell, short period, and cross-shore wind. The energy is mostly weak, dipping under 100 on many days. The water temperature anomaly is not flagged, so it’s about average for the time of year here.

Finally, on Saturday the 19th, things start to change. The morning is still poor, but the afternoon brings a “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” rating (score 1/10). The swell is 2ft from the east, 7-second period, and the wind goes cross-offshore from the ESE, which is a slight improvement. The energy is weak at 65. Then on Sunday the 20th morning, we get the best looking conditions of the whole 16 days: glassy conditions, 2ft from the east, 6-second period, and light air. The energy is only 44, so it’s tiny, but it’s clean. That’s your one small window to get a board in the water, but you’ll be on a longboard or a foiler for sure.

Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The best on offer is that glassy Sunday morning (September 20th) if you just want to get wet and catch a few ankle-biters. For the rest of the forecast, you’re better off doing something else. The setup is consistently poor due to the cross-shore wind and short-period swell, so it’s not even worth getting excited about the bigger days. The reef is consistent, but the conditions are not. It’s a long, frustrating run.

Rusty.

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