Tongo Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next stretch at Tongo Reef. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, and honestly, the first few days are pretty average. The water’s a touch on the warm side, running 78°, which is almost 9 degrees above what you’d expect this time of year – that’s properly unusual, keep that in mind when you’re picking a wetsuit.

The first real highlight doesn’t show up until later. The early part, from Thursday the 6th through the 11th, is a mix of small, short-period swell and cross-off winds. There’s some clean surf on Friday the 7th morning – swell around 4ft from the SSW with a light offshore breeze (10 km/h). It’s rideable but nothing to write home about; the energy is moderate (760). That’s about as good as it gets for the first week, and even then, the tide and quality are questionable at times. The swell stays small, 3ft to 4ft, and the periods are all over the place. By Tuesday the 11th afternoon, the swell jumps to 5ft but the period tanks to 8 seconds, and by Wednesday the 12th it’s a messy 7-second wind swell – 5ft but junky. That’s not worth your time. The winds are cross-off at 25 km/h, so it’s clean-ish, but the waves are poor. The energy is weak to moderate (467 on Wednesday morning), and this setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle, honestly.

Now, let’s get to the good part. Around Thursday the 13th, the energy starts to build. The swell is still 4ft to 4ft from the SW, but the period stretches out to 18 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy jumps to strong (1159 on Thursday morning, 1310 on Thursday afternoon). It’s still not huge, but the quality will be there. The wind is a moderate cross-off (20 km/h), so it’s clean. Friday the 14th pushes up a notch: 5ft from the SW with a 16-second period, and the energy is right up there at 1579. This is building nicely. But the standout – the one you want to block out in your calendar – is Saturday morning, the 15th. That’s the pick of the whole run. Swell comes in at 4ft from the SW with a 15-second period, and the wind flips to light offshore (15 km/h from the SE). That’s glassy, clean, and the energy is still strong (1002). For a reef break like this, with the optimum direction coming from the south, that’s about as good as it gets. It’s an advanced wave, no doubt, and it’s only "fairly consistent," so don’t expect a wave every set. But this one’s worth the paddle.

After that, the second week stays rideable but nothing special. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th have 4ft to 4ft from the SW, but the winds pick up and it’s more cross-off than offshore. The energy stays moderate to strong (916, 889, 718) but the quality is just "marginal." It’s not bad, just not the clean, lined-up stuff you got on Saturday. The period stays around 14-15 seconds, so there’s still some juice in it. By Wednesday the 19th, it’s dropping back down to 4ft, and then we fade out to 3ft by Thursday the 20th. The end of the window, Friday the 21st, sees the period drop hard to 8 seconds – back to short-period junk. The energy is weak (430), and it’s just not worth it.

So, final word: don’t waste your petrol on the first week. The surf is there, but it’s small and inconsistent. The standout is Saturday the 15th, morning session at Tongo Reef (East Africa) – 4ft from the SW, 15 seconds, light offshore breeze. That’s the cleanest, most powerful wave of the whole stretch. The 13th and 14th have size and energy building, but the 15th is the one. After that, it’s a slow fade. Keep the faith, it’s been dry, but this one’s worth waiting for.

Rusty.

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