Trincomalee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for the next 16 days around Trincomalee is a tough one. The finder is pulling up a big fat zero for any decent surf, and the guidance backs that up: this spot is so sheltered it rarely breaks, and the optimum swell direction is from the south, which hardly ever lines up. So don’t hold your breath for a single proper session. The good news is, when it’s this flat, forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a blank run that’s pretty normal for an area this protected.

Over the first week, from Tuesday, August 4th, through the weekend, we’re looking at tiny, weak slop. Swell heights are barely 0.3 ft to 0.7 ft, with periods all over the place – from a short 8 seconds up to a long 20 seconds, but with combined energy readings that are pathetically weak (between 5 and 56). The wind is mostly a cross-off from the WSW at 15 to 19 mph, which is just messy for such a small wave. A few windows show a light offshore on Wednesday morning, August 5th, with the wind swinging to W at 6 mph, and again on Monday afternoon, August 10th, with a WNW breeze at 6 mph, but the swell is still a paltry 0.3 ft to 1 ft. You’d be floating, not surfing.

The second week doesn’t get any better. From Monday, August 11th, through to Wednesday, August 19th, the swell nudges up to 1 ft to 2 ft at best, but it’s still a weak, mixed bag of SE and SSE swell. The energy stays low, mostly in the 30s and 60s, though on Tuesday morning, August 18th, we see a spike to 328 – that’s moderate wave energy for a split second, with a 2 ft swell from the south at a very long 19-second period. But the wind is a fresh cross-off from the WSW at 19 mph, and the guidance still slaps it with “poor surf conditions.” A long-period groundswell like that on a point break like Trincomalee can offer some shape, but with the wind howling and the size so small, it’s a tease at best. The water temp is a warm 83°F, which is about average for the time of year, with a tiny anomaly of plus 1°F.

If you’re desperate for a paddle, the best bet is to watch for those rare moments of light offshore wind on Wednesday morning, August 5th, or Monday afternoon, August 10th and Sunday afternoon, August 16th, when the WNW breeze drops to 6 mph. The swell will be tiny and weak, but at least it’ll be glassy. There’s nothing here that’s worth a dedicated trip. The whole setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer given the consistent cross-off winds and tiny surf, but even then, the swell is barely there.

Rusty.

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