Tea Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you—this outlook is a bit of a bummer for a paddler. The whole 16-day window is basically a no-go for a decent surf.

The only spot we’ve got data for is Tea Break, a reef break that’s consistent and exposed to the swell, but it’s just not working. Right from Sunday the 12th of July, we’re looking at a stretch of poor surf conditions that runs all the way through to Monday the 27th of July. That’s a solid two-week gap with no real recommendations. The combined swell energy is weak, mostly flirting with two-digit values in the 80s and low 100s—nothing that’s going to get your heart racing. The water temperature is 83°, which is about average for the time of year, so nothin’ weird there.

The wind is the real killer here. It’s blowing cross-shore from the ENE and E at 12 mph to 19 mph, creating a lumpy cross-chop that’s just ruining any chance of a clean face. The swell is small, from 3 ft to 6 ft, but it’s short-period stuff—mostly 5 to 8 seconds. That’s weak, wind-driven mush. The direction is E, which is not the optimum NNE for Tea Break, so we’re not getting the best angle.

The only slight glimmer comes right at the very end: on Sunday the 26th of July, the wind shifts to a cross-offshore from the ESE, and the conditions clean up. We’ve got a 3 ft to 4 ft E swell with a period of 5 to 8 seconds. The combined energy is still weak (119 and 89), so it’s nothin’ special, but at least the surface would be smooth. Still, the swell is too small and short-period to get excited about.

If you’re a kite surfer, this whole setup might look more interesting than it does for a paddle surfer, because those cross-shore winds are gonna be consistent. But for us wave-chasers? Leave the boards at home. The forecasts are not promising, and this run of poor conditions is fairly normal for the area when the wind doesn’t play ball.

Rusty.

Read more