The Maze (Tiree) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at what The Maze (Tiree) has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, this is a bit of a rough patch for the spot. The opening days are a write-off.

The solar-powered start on Thursday the 20th looks nothing like a surf day. Strong breeze from the NNE at 28 mph, cross-off but the swell is only 3 ft from the west with a weak combined energy of 121. It’s clean, but it’s just not happening. That trend of poor conditions and messy cross-shore winds carries right through until late on the 23rd. The swell tries to bump up late Sunday afternoon to 3 ft from the WNW, but with gentle cross-onshore winds and a combined energy of 116, it’s still a no-go. There’s a real lull in decent surf for the first few days.

Now, Monday the 24th is where things get interesting. That morning, we finally see a proper jump in energy. Clean lines from the WNW at 5 ft, a period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy hits a solid 513. The wind is a light cross-off from the southeast – that’s a major positive for clean faces. This is the standout window of the whole forecast. The afternoon stays good with similar 5 ft swell and a gentle cross-off breeze. For anyone who can get out there, this is the call.

Things look a bit shaky after that. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is bang on average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

Tuesday the 25th drops off fast. The swell goes back to 3 ft with strong cross-off winds from the ESE. The energy is weak again at 187. Clean, but tiny.

The rest of the first week is a mix of small clean waves and very ordinary conditions – we’re talking 2 ft to 2 ft swells with gentle offshore or cross-off winds, but the wave energy is in the doldrums (54-77). That’s not surf to write home about.

The second week kicks off on the 28th of August with a bit more size – Friday morning has 4 ft from the WSW, period 7 seconds, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the NNW. It’s lumpy and not inviting. Friday afternoon gets worse, with 6 ft from the SW and the same messy wind. Too rough for good shape.

Sunday the 30th has some size again: 6 ft in the morning from the WNW but onshore winds from the WSW at 19 mph make it a write-off. The afternoon gets a bit more interesting – 7 ft from the WNW, period 8 seconds, combined energy of 611, and the wind goes cross-shore from the south at 12 mph. It’s moderate cross-shore chop. Could be something for a bigger board, but it’s not clean.

The very end of the forecast is big but ugly. Thursday the 3rd of September shows a serious pulse: 10 ft from the west, period 9 seconds, and an enormous combined energy of 1303. But with onshore winds from the WSW at 19 mph in the morning and then cross-on from the NNW at 22 mph in the afternoon, it’s blown-out and messy. That sort of size with that wind is really only for the experienced and even then it’ll be a battle. The beach-and-point setup might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.

So, the takeaway: if you can make it to The Maze on Monday the 24th – morning or afternoon – that’s the one. The rest of the window is a long wait for something that just doesn’t come together.

Rusty.

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