Tippers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's see what the next couple of weeks have in store for us at Tippers.

To be straight with you, the pattern for the first week is a bit of a letdown. We’ve got some swell running, but the wind is just not playing nice. It’s mostly coming from the northwest and west-northwest, putting a cross-on shore chop on things most of the time that’s making it pretty scrappy. The water’s running at 73°, which is a solid 5° warmer than what we’re used to this time of year, so at least the tropical feels are there.

The week kicks off with the strongest energy we’ll see for a while. On Monday the 7th, there’s a solid 6ft swell from the SSW with a 12-second period and strong combined energy (1007). But the wind is a 16 mph cross-on from the NW, and the word on the street is "poor surf conditions". It’s basically a write-off for a clean ride; you’d be battling chop. Not worth it.

We slide into Tuesday the 8th with the swell dropping to 4ft from the same SSW direction. The energy is moderate now (558) and the wind eases to a gentle breeze, but it’s still cross-on, leaving it fairly choppy. The same goes for the rest of the week – we see small waves in the 2ft to 3ft range, with the wind either cross-on or onshore and those period numbers are all over the place, from a quick 8 seconds up to 17 seconds. The 17-second period groundswell on Thursday the 10th is promising for shape at a reef like Tippers, but with the cross-on breeze, it’s just not coming together. The whole first week is a blank run for any sensible surfing; the conditions are just too messy.

Heading into the second week, from Monday the 14th onwards, things get smaller still. We’re looking at 2ft to 3ft waves through mid-week. The wind does start to go a bit more favorable, swinging to the SW and WSW, giving us clean, light onshore winds at times. But the waves are just too small and weak to get excited about. The energy is low to moderate, sitting in the 300 to 600 range.

Now, there is a glimmer of hope. The weekend of the 20th and 21st of September sees the energy pickup again, with combined energies hitting 705 and 812, and the swell building back to 3ft to 4ft from the SW. The period on the 20th is a lovely 19 seconds – that’s a long, clean groundswell that Tippers, being a reef, will love. The wind is light and onshore from the SW, which is about as good as it gets for this break. It’s a long way out, so don’t bank the farm on it, but if this holds, the mornings of the 20th and 21st could finally give us some clean, lined-up waves from a quality SW swell. That’s the one to keep an eye on. Until then, it’s a frustrating wait.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on that long-range promise.

Rusty.

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