Tennis Courts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer at Tennis Courts over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, this is a tricky stretch. We’re looking at a lot of days where the wind is howling out of the ENE, gusting up to 25 mph, and that’s cross-offshore here. While that keeps the surface clean, the swell direction is mostly from the same ENE, which is not the optimum direction for this exposed reef. The water temp is sitting at 80° right now, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days aren't much to write home about. Thursday morning the 23rd has a bit of size at 7 ft, but that ENE swell is short period (7 seconds) and the wind is a strong 25 mph breeze. The combined wave energy is moderate (1031), but it’s a messy, wind-driven affair. Thursday afternoon drops to 2 ft on a very long 20-second SSW swell, which is a classic groundswell for this reef, but the swell height is tiny. Friday and Saturday are more of the same story: chest to head high ENE windswell, strong cross-off winds, and the scores are poor. It’s just not clean or organised enough to get excited about.

Sunday the 26th offers a slight glimmer. The morning sees a 3 ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period, and the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-off. The combined energy is in the moderate range (1125). That long period will wrap in nicely to this reef, but the size is small. It’ll be a longboard or a fish kind of session. The afternoon shifts to a 3 ft easterly groundswell, still clean.

Now, look ahead to the 28th of July, Tuesday. Morning sees a solid 7 ft ENE swell, with a more respectable 12-second period. The wind is a lighter 16 mph from the NE, still cross-off. The combined energy jumps to 1543 – that’s moderate to strong. This is the biggest, most powerful swell of the window so far, and with the lighter wind, it could be the best session on offer. Still, that ENE swell direction isn’t perfect, so it might be a bit jacking and fast.

There’s a nasty patch around the 29th of July. The wind swings to the SE, cross-onshore, and we’ve got a risk of thunderstorms. The swell is 8 ft in the morning and 7 ft in the afternoon, but it’s a junky, onshore mess. Combined energy hits 1717, but it’s blown out. That’s one for the experts only, and even then, it’s not going to be pretty.

The first week of August is a mixed bag of windswell and groundswell. The 3rd of August, Monday, has a 4 ft east swell with a lovely 16-second period, and the wind is a moderate 16 mph from the ENE. Combined energy is moderate (1049). That’s a promising combo on paper: long period, clean conditions. It’s a standout for the second week. The 5th of August, Wednesday morning, also looks punchy with a 7 ft ENE swell at 12 seconds and moderate winds, giving a combined energy of 1258. That’s all-rounder size, but again, it’s ENE swell.

The real highlight for the second week is the 3rd of August. That 4 ft, 16-second groundswell from the east combined with moderate cross-off winds is the best structured wave of the whole run. It’s not huge, but the quality and shape should be there for a reef like this. It’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.

In summary, the first week is mostly wind-chop and windswell. The best bets are the 28th of July for power, and the 3rd of August for quality. The 29th of July is a skip. The rest is just waiting for the wind to cooperate.

Rusty.

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