Tippers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve only got one spot on the radar for the next 16 days, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

Tippers (reef, beginner-friendly)

The overall pattern is a slow start, a brief window of cleaner, more powerful surf, and then a long, drawn-out fade into almost nothing. The best of it is tucked right in the middle.

We kick off on Saturday, September 5th with a small 4ft south swell pushing in, but the water is notably warm – a massive 5°F above normal, which feels really unusual for this time of year. The morning has a light west wind, so it’s workable, but the energy is moderate at best. It’s a bit of a tease, honestly. The afternoon gets a little bumpier and the score drops.

Sunday, September 6th is your standout. The morning starts cloudy with a northerly cross-offshore breeze, cleaning up a 6ft south swell with a solid 14-second period. The energy is pumping. It’s got some push, but at under 8ft, it’s still manageable for a confident beginner. The afternoon stays clean with the same wind, and the wave comment says conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is the best window. However, a word of warning: this is a reef break, and that long-period groundswell tends to suck the water off the reef, making it shallow and a bit more critical. Keep your wits about you.

After that, it’s a slow slide downhill. Monday, September 7th sees the wind swing cross-onshore, making things choppy. Then from Tuesday, September 8th onward, the swell drops, the energy dips, and we hit a long stretch of poor or marginal conditions. There’s a brief moment on Thursday, September 10th with a clean 3ft swell from the southwest, but it’s weak. The wind stays light and onshore, so it’s clean-ish but gutless.

From September 11th right through to the end of the forecast on September 20th, it’s a wasteland. The swell is tiny – mostly under 3ft – and the period is all over the shop. The energy levels are weak, and the wind is either cross-onshore or straight onshore. There’s one small spike in period on September 18th (19 seconds) but the swell is only 2ft, so it’s all show and no go. You’re looking at over a week of flat, frustrating conditions.

So, to sum it up: if you want a wave, you’ve got to hit Sunday, September 6th. That’s your one true standout. After that, it’s time to find something else to do for the rest of the month.

Rusty.

Read more