Tunnels Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Tunnels. This is a solid, exposed reef break that’s best when the swell comes from the north, so we keep that in mind. We’ve got a bit of a slow start this week, but the second half of the window has a couple of windows that have me stoked. Water temp is sitting right around 80°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no need to dig out the steamer.

We kick off Wednesday the 29th with some cross-on winds and chest-high, short-period windswell. Honestly, the chop is making it a messy, marginal affair. Not a great time to paddle out. Thursday the 30th improves a little—winds swing cross-offshore, and we get clean, waist-to-chest-high waves, but the period is short (8 seconds) so the shape is a bit fat and lacklustre. Still, it’s a nicer paddle than Wednesday.

Friday the 31st through Saturday the 1st of August sees a bump in size to the 6-7ft range, still cross-off winds, but the swell is pure short-period windswell. It’s clean on the surface, but that’s about it. The wave quality is just average for Tunnels. The combined energy sits around 480 to 825 (moderate), which tells you there’s push, but no real grunt in the face.

Now, Sunday the 2nd of August is where it starts getting interesting. Morning sees 8ft of swell from the ENE with a period tick up to 9 seconds, and energy jumps over the 1000 mark (1016 – moderate to strong). This is chunky, and those cross-off winds will groom it well. This is a really good window for experienced surfers. Anything over 7ft here at Tunnels is expert territory.

Monday the 3rd pulls back a bit. Still clean, but smaller (5-6ft) and the wind gets a bit cross-chop in the afternoon. Not a standout.

The real standout pops up on Tuesday the 4th of August. Even though the swell height drops to a head-high 5ft, the period stretches to a very juicy 12 seconds. That’s real groundswell energy. The combined energy is still robust (630) and the winds are cross-off all day, glassy and clean. This is the kind of day where the reef lines up, the waves have shape and punch, and the sets are spaced out enough to make paddling easy. For a reef break like Tunnels, that longer period is absolute gold. This is the best on offer in the window.

After that, we tail off into smaller, short-period surf for the second week. From the 5th through the 8th, we’ve got waist-high windswell with moderate cross-off winds. It’s clean, but honest: there’s not enough juice to make Tunnels really work. Then from the 9th through the 13th of August, we see a complete shift: the swell direction flips to the west and northwest with very long periods (12-15 seconds) but tiny wave heights (3-4ft). Those long-period groundswell pulses will produce clean, glassy lines, but they’ll be small. For Tunnels, that size is marginal unless you’ve got a log. The 15-second period on the afternoon of the 12th has me perking up – a very long period groundswell and clean cross-off wind – but with only 3ft of height, it’s a gamble between a fun session and a float. Worth a look if you’re keen and have a bigger board.

Overall, the early days are a write-off. The first real taste of quality is Sunday the 2nd, but the crown jewel is Tuesday the 4th of August: head-high groundswell, clean, cross-off wind, and proper energy. That’s the day to call in sick.

Rusty.

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