Tippers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, checking in from the region.

To be straight with you, this stretch is looking pretty flat and uninspiring. We've got a long run of small, messy swell and onshore winds that are going to make it tough to find anything worth paddling out for. There's a real gap here with no decent surf on offer for the first week or more. Things start to look a little more promising right at the very end of the 16-day window, but that's a long way off.

Right now, and for the next week, the only spot in the frame is Tippers. It’s a beginner-friendly reef break that’s very consistent and exposed to the SW, which is the direction we're seeing most of this weak energy from. But don't get your hopes up. The swell is tiny, hanging around 2ft to 3ft for most of this period. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore from the west, keeping the surface a bit of a mess. The water temp at Tippers is a very unusual 75°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year.

From Wednesday the 12th through to Sunday the 23rd of August, the combined swell energy is weak to moderate, ranging from about 220 to 743. The period is decent, often between 14 and 18 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell. That would be great for a point or reef, but with the winds so poor and the size so small, it's just not coming together. The wave comments are all "poor surf conditions" or "marginal," and the scores are all zeros and ones.

Around Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th, the swell bumps up a little, with a few periods of 3ft to 4ft from the SSW. The energy gets into the moderate range (up to 743), but the wind stays cross-onshore, keeping it chopped up and unappealing.

Later in the week, from the 20th of August, it all drops back down into the 2ft to 3ft range, with the energy fading out. Still mostly cross-onshore breezes.

The one glimmer of hope is at the very end. Around Wednesday the 26th of August, Tippers sees the swell tick up to 3ft – 4ft from the SW, with a period of 16 seconds and a combined energy hitting 628. The wind is light and onshore from the WSW. The forecast is still only "marginal," but this is the best we've got on the board. That Wednesday afternoon session scores a 2 out of 10, which is the highest in the whole outlook. It’s not a standout by any means, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, it’s the only window that even looks close to rideable. After that, Thursday the 27th gets messy again with a moderate cross-onshore breeze.

So, the honest truth? For the next week and a half, there’s almost nothing to recommend. The surf just isn't here. Don't waste the energy. The only real chance, and it's a long shot, is to keep an eye on the end of the month around Wednesday the 26th of August. It might not be much, but it's all we've got. Forecasts can change, so we'll keep watching.

Stay patient,
Rusty

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