Tongo Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Howdy, Rusty here. We’ve got a slow start, but a solid run of surf is building for Tongo Reef. The first few days are a bit marginal—there’s surf on offer from now through Monday 21 July, but it’s all tagged with questionable conditions. Swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft from the SSW and S, with a moderate cross-off breeze. The combined energy sits in the moderate range (around 600 to 680), so there’s push, but nothing clean enough to get excited about. Honestly, the wind and tide are fighting the shape, and even though the wave counts are low for a good session, you’ll get wet if you’re desperate.

Then we hit a gap. Tuesday 22 July through Thursday 24 July morning sees poor surf conditions—combined energy drops to 169 or low 200s, swell tiny (2ft to 3ft). Not worth the paddle. That gap runs about two and a half days of genuinely poor conditions.

Now, the real standout: Thursday 24 July morning marks a turning point. On Friday 25 July morning we see a true highlight. The swell picks up to 4ft from the SW, running a long 19-second period—that’s proper groundswell. Combined energy is strong at 1154, with a light SSE breeze keeping the surface glassy. The forecast calls this excellent for experienced surfers. Tongo Reef is a reef break, and with that long period SW swell, it should set up beautifully with nice shape and solid power. The swell direction (SW) matches the optimum S direction closely enough to work well. It’s not huge at 4ft, but the energy and period mean waves will have some grunt. Be aware, crowds are possible here, so get in early.

That good spell runs through Sunday 27 July. Saturday 26 July morning stays excellent with 4ft SW and a 16-second period, energy at 1064 and light wind. Sunday 26 July afternoon shows a beast of combined energy at 1623, though the session is tagged as marginal on tide—still worth a look if the tide lines up.

From Monday 28 July onward, we see swell holding 5ft to 6ft from the SSW and SW, period 14 to 16 seconds, with moderate cross-off breezes. The combined energy remains strong (1200 to 1800 range), but the surf quality slips back to marginal. This is still decent for strong intermediates and above, but it’s not as clean as the standout windows. The very end of the month, Thursday 31 July morning, shows a return to “very good surf” with 4ft SW at 13 seconds and light breeze—a solid option for the final stretch.

So if you’re picking one moment, make it the morning of Friday 25 July. Tongo Reef, SW groundswell at 4ft, long 19-second period, light wind, strong energy. That’s as good as it gets in this run. For the second week, the pattern stays active but less certain on tide and wind—keep an eye on forecasts as we get closer.

Stay patient, paddle hard.

Rusty

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