Tramandai Pier (Platforma) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I won’t sugarcoat it – the next couple of weeks at Tramandai Pier (Platforma) are mostly a frustrating watch. This is a beach/pier setup that’s exposed to the swell, but we’re staring down a long stretch of average conditions with only a few flickers of hope. The first real surf worth paddling out for doesn’t show until Wednesday the 22nd, and even then it’s a tease. There’s a big gap of poor or marginal days before and after that.

Starting off, Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th are write-offs. The swell is 6 ft to 5 ft from the ENE, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, and the wave energy is weak to moderate (565 then 353). The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing special. Tuesday the 21st is still marginal with a 4 ft ENE swell and cross-shore wind, giving mild energy (374). Not worth rushing.

Now, Wednesday morning the 22nd is the first real glimmer. We get a 4 ft swell from the S, with a clean offshore wind from the W. The energy is moderate (291) and the conditions are clean. It’s small, but it’s the best surf on offer in the first week. The swell period is short at 8 seconds, so don’t expect heaps of push, but it’ll be rideable. The afternoon turns ugly though – a bigger 6 ft SSE swell with a strong cross-onshore wind and high energy (987) makes for a messy, choppy mess. That morning window is the standout.

Thursday the 23rd morning sees a bump in size to 7 ft from the SE, but with a strong onshore wind and very high energy (1141). That’s too big and blown out for most, only for the experts. The afternoon drops to 6 ft but is still cross-on and messy. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are poor with moderate to strong winds and only marginal energy.

There’s a brief reprieve on Sunday the 26th morning and afternoon. A 4 ft and then 3 ft E swell, with a light cross-offshore breeze and low energy (246, 241). Clean, small, surfable waves. Not a classic, but you’ll get a few fun ones.

Then we hit another dry spell from Monday the 27th through to Thursday the 30th. The wind is either cross-on or strong, with poor conditions and low energy. Wednesday the 29th has a morning glass-off with 3 ft from the ENE, but it’s so weak (139) it’s barely worth a mention.

Now, for the serious standout – you need to circle Saturday the 1st of August. The morning brings a 5 ft S swell with a 13-second period, glassy conditions, and a very high energy reading (924). The afternoon jumps to a 6 ft SSE groundswell with a massive 17-second period and immense energy (2293). That’s a proper long-period groundswell, and it’s going to unload. At a beach/pier break, that long period can make it break a bit straight and thumping, but if the tide lines up, it’ll be a session to remember. The wind is nearly glassy in the morning and onshore in the afternoon, so get out early. This is the best of the whole forecast.

Sunday the 2nd of August is still sizeable (5 ft SSE, 14-second period, 1465 energy) but a moderate cross-shore wind will chop it up. Monday the 3rd drops to 4 ft with a clean cross-shore wind and moderate energy (685), but it’s a shadow of Saturday.

The one to go for is that Saturday morning, August 1st, at Tramandai Pier. It’s the only true standout. The rest is mostly small, wind-affected, or just plain average. If you’re patient, there’s a couple of clean windows, but don’t expect a run of great days.

Rusty.

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