Temae Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s ahead for Temae. This is a tricky one, no doubt. It’s a reef break that can handle a good SW groundswell, but it’s inconsistent and really only for the advanced crew when it turns on. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

We’ve got a solid window of surf coming in starting Monday the 14th, but the opening day isn’t where you want to be. Monday morning has a 1.6m (about 5ft) SW swell with a 17-second period, which is a nice long groundswell, but the wind is a cross-onshore from the north at 15 km/h (about 9 mph), making it choppy and messy. The wave energy is moderate (1495), but the conditions just aren’t there. Monday afternoon is where it gets interesting. The wind swings around to the west-northwest at just 5 km/h (about 3 mph) and goes glassy. That same 1.6m (5ft) SW swell at 17 seconds suddenly looks clean and inviting for experienced surfers. That’s your first standout window.

Tuesday the 15th is the real jewel. Tuesday morning brings a SSW offshore breeze at 5 km/h (3 mph) and the swell has bumped up to 1.9m (about 6ft) from the SW, still with a long 16-second period. The energy is strong (2199) and the conditions are clean. This is the best of the lot. Tuesday afternoon keeps the quality going with a 2.1m (about 7ft) SW swell and a cross-offshore wind, staying clean. At 1.9m to 2.1m (6 to 7ft), this is getting too big for beginners, but for the experienced, it’s prime. The swell direction is from the SW which matches the optimum, and being a reef, it should handle that long-period groundswell well.

Wednesday the 16th gets bigger but trickier. The morning has a 2.4m (about 8ft) SSW swell with a 16-second period, but the wind is onshore from the northeast at 10 km/h (6 mph), making it a write-off. The afternoon glass-off arrives with a southeast breeze at 5 km/h (3 mph), and the swell hits 2.5m (about 8ft) from the SSW, with very strong energy (3120). That’s expert territory, and glassy, but at 2.5m (8ft) it’s only for the very skilled.

From Thursday the 17th onward, the quality starts to erode. The swell is still solid, between 2.3m and 2.5m (8 to 8ft) through to the end of the week, but the winds are mostly cross-offshore or cross, and the period drops to 14 seconds then 13 seconds by Friday. The energy is still moderate to strong, but the conditions are just marginal, with clean but wind-affected surf.

By Saturday the 19th, the swell drops to 1.9m and then 1.7m (6 to 6ft) with a 12-second period and light cross-offshore winds. It’s good, clean fun but not the standout power of Tuesday. Then we hit a big dry spell. From Sunday the 20th all the way through to Saturday the 26th of September, it’s mostly poor. Winds are onshore or cross-onshore, often from the east-northeast at 15 to 25 km/h (9 to 15 mph), and the swell is small to moderate. There’s a brief spike on Wednesday the 23rd with a 1.7m to 1.8m (6 to 6ft) SW swell, but the onshore wind ruins it. This is a long gap with no decent recommendations.

We finally get a pulse back on Saturday the 26th afternoon with a 2.5m (8ft) SW swell and a 15-second period, but the wind is onshore from the northeast. Sunday the 27th has the biggest swell of the whole forecast at 3.0m (about 10ft) from the SSW, but with a 30 to 40 km/h (18 to 25 mph) cross-offshore wind, it’s just too blown out for anyone but the kites. The surf is messy and blown out. The final days of the 28th and 29th show dropping swell with poor winds.

So, for the standout call: Tuesday the 15th is the one. Tuesday morning at Temae with that 1.9m (6ft) SW swell and 5 km/h (3 mph) offshore wind – that’s as good as it gets in this run. Get on it, because the waiting game after that is long.

Rusty.

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