Tea Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve taken a good, hard look at the charts for our little patch, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch. This isn’t a time for picking standouts; it’s a time for patience. We’ve got a 16-day window, but the first week and a half is a write-off for any decent paddle.

The whole period is dominated by cross-shore wind. That easterly flow is relentless, chopping up whatever tiny swell tries to roll in. For the first nine days, from Monday 10 August through to Tuesday 18 August, it’s just poor conditions. The swell is small to moderate, mostly around 3 ft to 7 ft, coming from the east with a short, weak period of 5 to 8 seconds. The combined energy is all over the shop, starting weak (82) on the Wednesday morning and building to moderate (485) by the Friday afternoon, but it doesn’t matter because the wind has it destroyed. You’d be better off finding a kitesurfing spot than trying to paddle out into that lumpy cross-chop.

Then, on Monday 17 August, something interesting tries to happen. The swell period jumps to 13-14 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, and the energy spikes to a strong 513 to 972. But the size is 3 ft to 6 ft, the wind is still cross-shore, and it’s labelled as marginal. That long-period groundswell is looking for a point or a reef to wrap into, but Tea Break, being a reef break, is getting it with a messy cross breeze. It’s frustrating to watch.

The best we’ve got – and I use that term lightly – is the Tuesday morning of 18 August. Swell energy is still strong at 515, the period is a decent 10 seconds, and the wind is a gentler 9 mi/h cross-shore from the east. The swell is 5 ft from the east, and the water is a warm 84° with a normal anomaly for the time of year. The break itself is consistent and intermediate-friendly, but that cross-shore wind is still a blight. It’s the only window where a dedicated soul might find a few rideable lines under a partly cloudy sky.

Tea Break is a consistent reef, but the reality is this: from the 19th through to the 25th, we’re back to the same grim loop of small, short-period swell and cross-shore wind. There’s a gap of good quality surf that lasts the entire forecast. Don’t bother checking the buoys; just leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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