Tenby (South Beach) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf’s up… or maybe not just yet. Let’s get into it.

The next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for Tenby (South Beach), I gotta be honest. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing but small, junky waves and average conditions. The good news? There’s a window of proper size and clean conditions right at the end of the run, so it ain’t all doom and gloom.

Right now, and for the next few days, we’re stuck with tiny leftovers. Monday the 17th is almost flat – we’re talking less than a foot with a weak energy reading of just 23. The wind is cross-off but that’s about all it has going for it. Tuesday and Wednesday stay in that 4ft to 4ft range, with the swell coming from the WSW, but the period is a short and crumbly 6 seconds. The wind’s mostly cross-off, so the surface will be clean-ish, but the waves are just fat and gutless. The combined energy is weak, sitting down between 109 and 198. There’s nothing surfable here.

Thursday the 20th starts to show a bit of life, with the swell pushing to around 5ft in the morning, but it’s still a short-period 7 second WSW wrap. The wind is offshore, which is a bonus, but the energy is only moderate at 222. It’s surfable, but certainly nothing to get excited about, and the afternoon drops off again as the wind freshens.

After that, we hit a proper dead zone. From Friday the 21st all the way through to the 27th, the swell just tanks. We’re talking 0.5ft to 2ft – little more than a ripple. The energy readings are all under 100, which is weak. There’s a lot of light wind, which is good, but there’s just no water moving. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple. There’s a brief pulse on the 26th with a 5ft SW swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds, and the wind is messy, so it’s not going to be any good.

Now, we finally get some real swell on the 28th of August. It’s a 6ft WSW swell with a solid 8-second period, and the energy jumps up to a strong 464-492. But the wind is straight from the SSW at 22 mph, blowing cross-onshore. It’s going to be lumpy, messy, and all over the place. This is a case of a lot of juice with nowhere to go – not a surf day.

But then, here’s the standout. The 29th of August. Saturday morning. It’s looking like the best chance we’ve got in this whole period. We’ve got a clean 8ft WSW swell with a 9-second period, and the energy is pumping at 795 – that’s strong, very strong. The wind is offshore from the NW at a manageable 12 mph. That’s the combination we want. The seabed at Tenby (South Beach) holds this southwest swell well, and with that offshore wind, it should be clean and lined-up. This is the one.

That morning window, before the wind swings more westerly and the swell drops a touch to 7ft in the afternoon, is the pick of the fortnight. It’s going to be beefy, so not for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of experience, it’s worth getting wet for.

Sunday the 30th looks blown out again – strong winds, rain, and dropping swell. Monday the 31st sees more size, 7ft to 10ft of WSW swell, but the wind is all over the place and the energy is high but messy. That 31st looks more like a kite-surfing day to be honest. The surf will be powerful but probably too raw and ragged, with that 8-second period and fresh cross-off winds.

After that, the first day of September just gets messier with cross-onshore winds and 8ft of chop. Save your energy for the 29th.

So, mark your calendar for the 29th of August. That’s the one to chase. Everything before that is small and average, and everything after is a bit of a mess.

Rusty out.

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