Tengan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this outlook for the upcoming stretch is a tough one. We're looking at a long, dry spell with barely a window of decent surf. The first real recommendation doesn't even pop up until Thursday afternoon, the 3rd of September, so we've got a couple of days of flat or poor conditions to sit through first.

Wednesday the 2nd is a write-off. Onshore easterly winds are blowing straight into Tengan, a reef setup, with a messy 5ft east swell. The energy is weak (382), and it's just poor out there. Thursday morning stays marginal with a cross-offshore wind, but the real flicker of hope comes Thursday afternoon. The wind swings offshore from the west at 12 mph, cleaning up a 4ft easterly swell. The energy is moderate (340), and the wave comment says "expect good surf conditions." It's a beginner-friendly spot, but it's inconsistent, so don't expect a constant line-up. The water temp is a balmy 84°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so you won't need a wetsuit.

Friday the 4th rolls in with a risk of thunderstorms and a small, short-period 4ft northerly swell. The wind is cross-offshore in the morning, but the energy is weak (211) and the conditions are just "ordinary." By the afternoon, the swell drops to 3ft and the energy fades to 108 – it's a paddling session at best.

From Saturday the 5th right through to Tuesday the 15th of September, it's a grim run. The wind is almost always onshore, cross-onshore, or cross-shore with chop, and the swell quality is consistently rated as "poor surf conditions." The energy levels bounce around, but the wind ruins it every time. There's a brief spike on Thursday the 10th with an 8ft NNW swell, but it's accompanied by a fresh 22 mph north wind that creates a lumpy cross-chop. That's kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The period is short (9-10 seconds), so it's a messy, bumpy windswell.

The last week of the outlook is more of the same. On Wednesday the 16th, we get a 7ft NNW swell with a short 8-second period, but the wind is again a fresh cross-shore, making it lumpy. The 17th of September sees a solid 8ft northerly swell with a longer 11-second period, and the energy is very strong (1546). But again, the wind is a strong 22-25 mph cross-shore, creating a messy cross-chop. That's a big, unruly wave for experts only, and the wind is going to make it a battle. For a reef break like Tengan, that long-period swell can be good, but not with that wind.

Honestly, the only standout in this whole 16-day window is that Thursday afternoon on the 3rd of September. It's a short window, but if you can get out there, you'll have clean, offshore waves on a beginner-friendly reef. Everything else is a write-off. The crowds here are listed as "sometimes," so you might have some company, but it won't be a zoo. Don't hold your breath for the rest of the run.

Rusty.

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