Tengan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright. Rusty here.

Well, I’ve stared at the charts for our stretch of coast, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough outlook. There’s not a single day in this 16-day window where we get a combination of decent swell and clean wind at the same time. The first ten days or so are just flat to tiny, with cross-onshore winds ruining whatever little ripple is out there. We’re looking at a long dry spell until things try to kick off in the last week.

Let’s start from now. Sunday the 9th of August through to about Monday the 11th, we’ve got tiny ankle-snappers at Tengan, maybe 0.3m to 0.8m – that’s about 1 foot to 3 feet – but it’s all getting torn up by a strong to moderate cross-onshore breeze. Not worth paddling out. That sets the tone for the next week. The combined swell energy is pathetic, between 12 and 63 (weak), and the wind just won’t let up.

Tuesday the 12th offers a brief moment of glassy conditions in the afternoon, with the wind dropping to almost nothing. But the swell is a laughable 0.3m – that’s 1 foot. It’s flat. You’d be bobbing around.

The pattern continues. Tiny waves, junk wind. Thursday the 14th sees a few clean slots early with a light cross-offshore wind, but again, the swell is only 0.3m to 0.4m – about 1 foot to 1 feet. You might get a groveler slide, but that’s about it. The water temp is sitting at a pleasant 86°F, which is about average for the time of year, but that’s small comfort when there’s nothing to ride.

Now, the end of the outlook gets interesting, but not for surfing. Around the 21st and 22nd of August, we see a proper pulse of swell roll in. Swell heights push up to 2.0m – that’s 7 feet – from the east and southeast, with the combined swell energy spiking into the strong range (649 to 1124). This is not a paddler's swell, though. The period is a mix but includes some long-period groundswell (11-12 seconds) that would normally be promising at a reef setup like Tengan. But here’s the kicker – the wind is howling onshore at 25 to 35 km/h – 15 to 22 mph – from the east and southeast. The “un-known” wind descriptor just means it’s blowing straight onto the break. This is going to be a complete mess. For a beach-and-reef setup like Tengan, that combination of significant swell and strong onshore wind looks far more interesting for kite surfing than for paddle surfing. It’s a waiting game, boys.

To sum it up: there are no good surf options in the 16-day window. A blank run like this is more normal for the area when the trade winds are locking in. Forecasts can change, but for now, leave the board in the car or find another hobby for a bit.

Rusty.

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