Tea Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this outlook for the next 16 days is a tough one. We’re looking at a stretch with no real standouts, and a lot of surf that simply isn’t worth paddling out for. The first sign of anything close to rideable isn’t until the morning of Monday the 21st, and even then, it’s pretty ordinary. The patterns are stuck in a rut, so don’t hold your breath for any sudden hero waves.

Now, Tea Break is a consistent reef break that takes swell from the NNE. The water temp is sitting at 84°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing to fret about in the wetsuit department. For the first week, it’s a total write-off. From Tuesday the 15th through to the end of Sunday the 20th, every single session is marked by poor surf conditions. The wind is a persistent cross-shore, mostly from the E at 12 to 16 mph, with combined energy levels that bounce around but hardly ever break into anything exciting. You’ll see the swell height fluctuating between 2 ft and 5 ft, but it’s junky, short-period windswell (often just 4 to 7 seconds) that won’t shape up into anything you’d want to paddle for. The afternoon of Friday the 18th gets a moderate combined energy of 206, but with a messy 5 ft swell and 6-second period under cross-shore wind, it’s a pass. Kite surfers might have a look at the beach setup in that side-shore stuff, but for a regular surfer? Not worth it.

We finally get a tiny glimmer on Monday morning, the 21st. The wind shifts to a light cross-off breeze from the ESE at 9 mph, cleaning things up. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the E with a period of 8 seconds, and combined energy is a weak 73. The note says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – that’s the high point of the whole period. It’s not good surf, but it’s the best you’ll see. If you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window. The rest of that week and into the next is more of the same: poor conditions, cross-shore winds, and lumpy, short-period slop.

The morning of Thursday the 24th offers some hope with a 1 ft NE groundswell at 13 seconds and a light cross-off breeze from the ESE at 6 mph. The period is long enough to hold some energy (82 combined), but it’s tiny. That swell direction from the NE isn’t ideal for Tea Break’s optimum NNE, so it won’t wrap in clean. The morning of Friday the 25th has a similar flavour: 1 ft from the NE at 12 seconds, but still just an ordinary surf. After that, we’re back to the same old story – cross-shore easterlies and weak, short-period windswell right through to the end of the outlook on Wednesday the 30th.

Honestly, this is a forgettable 16 days. There’s one morning on the 21st that’s just barely worth a look if you’re jonesing for anything at all. The rest is best spent on other things. Forecasts can turn, so don’t lose all hope, but for now, it’s dry.

Rusty.

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