Tip Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the menu.

Alright, let's be real. Looking at the whole 16-day picture for Tip Beach, it’s a mixed bag with some serious swell events that are just too big and rowdy for a standard paddle session. The good news is, we’ve got a couple of windows where it all comes together. The water temp is sitting at 60°F , which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year, so you won't need the thickest suit.

We start off this Friday, September 4th with a decent little pulse. The morning is the standout early call. Swell is 4ft out of the SSW with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is glassy out of the ENE. That’s a major positive – it’ll be clean as a whistle for the start of the day. The combined energy is moderate (262). It’s not going to be epic, but it's a fun, surfable wave. The afternoon gets chopped by an onshore breeze, so stick to the early.

Saturday the 5th is small and average, not worth rushing out for.

Now, here’s where things get interesting and, for most of us, a bit frustrating. Sunday the 6th through Monday the 7th, we see a massive spike in size. Sunday morning pumps 10ft of SW swell with a period of 10 seconds and a combined energy of 1498! That’s strong wave energy, but the word is, it's predicted to be too big for this break. The wind is cross-off, which would be perfect, but that kind of size at Tip Beach is for experts only, and even then, it might be a washing machine.

Monday the 7th stays solid at 8ft in the afternoon, but again, it’s a rough and rowdy proposition for the average punter. A lot of these days with strong cross-off winds and big SW swell readings (like Wednesday the 9th with 8ft / 1020 energy, and Thursday the 10th with a massive 10ft / 3049 energy and a long 13-second period) are marked as too big for the break. That long period south swell will be very powerful, likely breaking too straight for this beach.

Tuesday the 8th offers a real reprieve. The morning is the best bet of this early period. We get 6ft of S swell with a period of 9 seconds (511 energy) and a gentle WSW breeze. It’s clean, the energy is moderate, and the size is manageable for a good intermediate session.

After a few more days of junky or blown-out conditions, we get a remarkable shift. On Monday the 14th, it’s flat.

But mark your calendars for Tuesday the 15th of September. The morning is an absolute hidden gem. A glassy 6ft swell from the NE with a period of 8 seconds (431 energy) and glassy NNW winds. That’s a rare combination of clean conditions and a decent push from a different angle. If you can get out, this is the session to hunt for. The afternoon gets a cross-onshore breeze, but that morning window is pure gold.

The final weekend looks gnarly again. The 19th and 20th of September see enormous, dangerous swell. Sunday the 20th morning shows 13ft of SW swell with a long 11-second period and a combined energy of 3760! That's a serious, life-threatening amount of water moving around. Wind and tide are favorable for big waves, but this is strictly for the absolute elite tow-in crew. For everyone else, it’s a day to watch from the cliffs. The 23rd and 24th are still huge (over 8ft) and won't be clean.

So, to sum it up: The absolute best on offer is the Friday morning, September 4th for a clean, small wave session, and the Tuesday morning, September 15th as the standout window for a glassy, fun-sized NE swell. Everything else is either flat, blown out, or monstrously big.

Rusty.

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