Tippers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for Tippers, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead, but finding a clean, rippable wave is going to take a whole lot of patience. The good news? This spot is very consistent, so it’s not like the ocean switches off, but the quality just isn’t there for most of the run.

We kick things off on Tuesday, the 11th of August, and I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. The water is a bathtub-warm 76° – that’s a massive 8° warmer than usual for this time of year, which is *very* unusual. But the surf? Tiny. We’re looking at a 2ft to 2ft SSW groundswell with a long 13–18 second period. That longer period means there’s energy, but the combined energy reading is only 324 (weak to moderate). And the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, so the surface is chopped up. The forecast is calling it “poor surf conditions” right through the first week.

We roll through Wednesday and Thursday, and it’s the same story – 2ft to 3ft of SSW swell, but every day the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore. The energy builds a bit into the moderate range (389–468), but the wind just ruins any chance of a clean face. By Friday the 14th, the swell bumps up to 3ft with a bit more energy (741), but the wind is still a problem. The best you can say is it’s “marginal.”

Saturday the 15th sees the biggest swell of the whole window, hitting 4ft from the SSW with a 16-second period. That’s a decent amount of water, but combined energy of 727 is still only moderate. And again, we’ve got a light breeze coming from the west, making it cross-onshore. For a reef like Tippers that’s exposed to SW swell, this is the one day where a beginner might find something, but it’s not clean.

The second week is grim. From Sunday the 16th all the way through to Wednesday the 26th, the swell never gets above 3ft. Most days it’s a sad 2ft to 2ft. The period stays solid (14–19 seconds), so the long lines are there, but there’s no push. The combined energy drops off a cliff, hitting as low as 189 (weak) on the 22nd. The wind finally turns more “on” from the west and west-southwest, which is an offshore direction for Tippers, and on the 23rd and 24th we get a glassy morning with a light breeze. The issue is there’s barely a wave to surf.

Honestly, if I had to pick the only standout – and I’m reaching here – it would be the morning of Saturday the 15th of August. The swell is the largest (4ft) and the period is solid at 16 seconds from the SSW, which matches the optimum direction for the reef. It’s still “marginal” with a light cross-onshore wind, but it’s the closest we get to something rideable. Don’t expect perfection. This is a very consistent break that just isn’t firing. For kite surfers, the consistent onshore winds and that small, long-period swell might actually look more interesting than it does for a paddle.

It’s a long wait, folks. Forecasts can change, but right now, leave the board at home.

- Rusty

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