Tengan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I have to be straight with you. Looking at Tengan over the next couple of weeks, it’s a pretty bleak picture, to be honest. We’re looking at a long dry spell with almost nothing to get excited about for a solid stretch. Most of the time, the wind is just wrong, blowing onshore or cross-onshore, and even when there’s a bit of size in the water, the conditions are just poor. It’s one of those frustrating periods where the swell and the wind never seem to line up.

Let’s walk through it. Starting Sunday the 23rd of August into the following week, we’ve got tiny, weak swell coming from the ESE, with energy barely registering, and it’s blowing onshore at 12 mph. It’s not even worth paddling out. That situation drags on. Through Monday and Tuesday the 24th and 25th, the combined energy starts climbing, hitting a massive level on Tuesday afternoon, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the north at 22 mph, and the sea state is described as lumpy cross-chop. There's a 10 ft swell on Tuesday morning, but with that wind texture, it’s just a mess. Wednesday the 26th morning shows a wild 43 mph offshore westerly, but at 8 ft with a short 10-second period, it’s gale force and nearly impossible to paddle into. Later that day, it swings around to a cross-offshore, but the wind is still 37 mph. That’s a big no from me.

The rest of that first week and into the next is a repeat of onshore and cross-onshore winds with messy, choppy surf. Thursday the 3rd of September sees a huge spike in energy with a 21 ft swell from the NNE, but that’s coming with a 37 mph near-gale cross-shore wind and crossing waves. Those conditions are dangerous and unruly, completely unsurfable. Even when we get to the 4th and 5th of September, the wind shifts to a cross-offshore from the NNW, and the surf finally looks cleaner, but the swell is still sizeable at 8 ft to 11 ft, and the wind is blowing 22 to 34 mph. The energy readings for the 5th of September morning are moderate, but with a strong breeze, it’s still a tough, marginal call.

For the absolute best of a bad bunch, it has to be the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. Even then, it’s only a 2 out of 10, but the conditions are described as clean with a cross-offshore wind from the northwest at 22 mph. The swell is 8 ft from the NW with an 11-second period, which is a solid groundswell. That long period makes for better shaped waves but can be a bit too straight for a beach break. However, with the wind direction being right, if you are an experienced surfer and you don’t mind a strong breeze making the paddle out tricky, there could be a few well-shaped set waves. That is the only window I’d even consider. The crowds at Tengan are described as ‘sometimes’, so you might not have to fight for one of those sets.

The water temperature here is 83°F, which is basically bang on average for this time of year, so you don't have to worry about a thick wetsuit.

Outside of that Saturday morning, the rest of the period is a write-off. There’s just not enough quality to make any other day a standout.

Stay patient, check the forecasts, and don't force a session in poor conditions.

Rusty.

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