Tengan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, Tengan is the only game in town, and I gotta be honest with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead. This is a reef break that’s usually inconsistent, and for the first week, we’ve got a real flat spell. From Tuesday the 15th right through to Friday the 18th, the waves are tiny, between 1ft and 2ft, with short period wind swell, and the wind is never doing us any favours – mostly cross-onshore. It’s weak energy too (between 65 and 156 on the combined scale). There’s just nothing to get excited about. It’s a blank run for a few days.

Now, things start to change around Saturday the 19th. The swell picks up a bit, but the wind gets nasty. Saturday morning we see 4ft from the east with a very long 15-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy (565). Problem is, the wind is howling cross-onshore at 16 mph, so it’s going to be messy. That afternoon the swell jumps to 5ft (1214 energy) but the wind freshens to 19 mph, and it’s cross-shore. Not the clean conditions we want, especially for a reef.

Sunday the 20th is where it gets interesting, but only for the brave. We’ve got a solid 8ft east swell with a 16-second period – that’s a lot of juice (3226 energy). The wind is strong from the north at 25 mph, but it turns cross-offshore in the afternoon, so the surface cleans up. Still, at that size, this is expert-only territory. It’s a powerful, long-period groundswell, which on a reef can be a sight to behold, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Monday the 21st is a write-off. The wind goes bonkers – gale-force from the northwest at 40 mph – and the swell is a messy 10ft from the north-northwest with a short period. Even though it’s cross-off, you’d be mad to paddle out in that wind. Tuesday the 22nd sees the wind swing offshore from the west, but it’s still a near-gale at 37 mph. The swell drops a bit to 8ft, but it’s still big, and the offshore wind is so strong it’ll be near impossible to paddle into anything. The combined energy is still hefty (over 1600).

By Wednesday the 23rd, things calm down. The swell is a more manageable 7ft from the north, and the wind drops to a moderate 16 mph from the west-northwest, giving us clean conditions. It’s not perfect, but it’s the most user-friendly it’s been in days. The period is a short 10 seconds, so it’s more of a wind swell, but at least you could have a go.

After that, it’s a slow fade. Thursday the 24th sees the swell drop to 4ft, and the wind is cross-shore again. Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th are back to small, choppy conditions. Then Sunday the 27th through to the end of the month looks like another run of strong, messy winds and big, unruly swell. Sunday the 27th has 5ft from the southeast with a 13-second period, but the wind is a strong cross-onshore. Monday the 28th and Tuesday the 29th are even bigger, with 8ft to 10ft, but the wind is near-gale force and cross-shore. The whole thing ends on Wednesday the 30th with a massive 13ft swell and a severe gale blowing cross-offshore – huge, but absolutely not for paddling.

So, if you’re looking for the best of a bad bunch, Sunday the 20th afternoon is a standout for experts – big, clean, powerful groundswell. And Wednesday the 23rd is your best bet for something a bit more manageable, with clean conditions and a decent 7ft. But honestly, for most of the next two weeks, the conditions are hostile. It’s one to watch from the shore, or maybe rig up the kite if that’s your thing.

Rusty.

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