Tongo Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, the ocean’s got a bit of a pulse, but honestly, it’s nothing to write home about just yet. We’re looking at a stretch where the surf is on the small side, and the conditions are just sort of… there. The water is running at 78°, which is a solid 9° warmer than we’d expect this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus if you’re getting in the water.

For this first stretch, Tongo Reef is your only real option, and it’s a proper reef break that takes a fairly consistent swell. The energy is solid, though—we’re talking strong to very strong wave energy, with readings like 1325 and 981 kicking things off. But here’s the deal: it’s a fairly consistent spot, but the waves are just not cooperating. We’ve got cross-off winds, mostly a moderate breeze, and while the surf looks clean, the swell is on the small side, mostly between 3ft and 5ft. The period is all over the place—we start with some long-period SW groundswell at 17 seconds, but then it drops off to a short 8-second windswell towards the weekend. That longer period is the good stuff, but it’s breaking a bit too straight for a beach break; you really want a point or reef for that to shine, and Tongo is a reef, so it’s got that going for it.

Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are your best bets for the week, with the swell sitting around 4ft to 5ft from the SW. It’s not big, but it’s lined up with the optimum direction. The wind is cross-offshore, which will keep it reasonably clean. This is probably the most you’re going to get out of this period. The scores are low, but it’s not flat.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. From the 11th through the 13th, the swell drops off, the period gets short and jumbly, and it’s just not doing much. We’re still seeing some waves, but the quality is questionable. After that, the swell direction swings back to the SW with a longer period, but the size drops out even more, hovering around 3ft to 4ft. There’s a day or two where the energy picks back up—like the afternoon of the 14th, where we see 1009—but it’s still small.

Looking further out, there’s a pulse around the 19th and 20th with a longer period (18-19 seconds) moving in, but the wave height is tiny, around 2ft to 3ft. That’s not going to save the day. The last couple of days, the 23rd and 24th, the wind turns more cross-shore and it gets a bit choppy, and the energy takes a nosedive to below 260. I’d say that’s when it’s looking less like a surf and more like a drift.

Honestly, there are no standouts in this whole 16-day window. The first couple of days are the most promising, but even then, it’s a “if you’re desperate” kind of call. It’s a long stretch of small, average waves. It’s not a total washout, but there’s nothing that’s going to have you calling in sick.

Rusty.

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