Tunnels Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Tunnels has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks. Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a frustrating outlook. We’ve got a whole lot of days with nothing but poor surf conditions, so don’t get your hopes up for the first week and a half. The first solid recommendation doesn’t turn up until late in the game.

We’re looking at Tunnels, a spot that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the open ocean. The water’s sitting at 80°, which is pretty much dead average for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there. But for days on end, we’re staring at small swell and cross-offshore winds that just aren’t doing us any favours. The energy is weak to moderate, with values mostly in the low hundreds – nothing that’ll get your heart racing.

There’s a narrow window of hope on the morning of Friday the 21st of August. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the SW, but the period jumps up to 17 seconds. That long-period groundswell carries some real punch for its size – you can see the energy hit 330 (moderate wave energy), which is the best we’ll see for a while. The wind goes almost glassy, with a slight air from the NE, so it’ll be clean. That’s your standout morning, but it’s not big – more of a longboard or funboard kind of day. The shape should be good for a reef setup like Tunnels, but with that long period, it might break a bit straight. Still, this is your best bet by a long shot. Just keep in mind the crowds are often here, so expect company.

After that Friday morning, it’s back to the grind. From Saturday the 22nd all the way through to Tuesday the 1st of September, the forecast is grim. We’re looking at poor surf conditions day after day – fresh breezes from the ENE, small messy swell, and a whole lot of zeros on the scorecard. There’s a solid 10-day stretch where you might as well leave the board in the car.

Then, towards the very end, we get a glimmer. On Wednesday morning the 2nd of September, things start to look interesting. The swell bumps up to 4 ft from the south, with a 19-second period – that’s some proper groundswell energy. The wave energy rockets up to 1229 (strong to very strong), so there’s plenty of power behind it. The wind is moderate from the NE, keeping it cross-off. This one is for the experienced crew – 4 ft with that kind of period will pack a punch. It’s still a bit of a watch-and-see situation being that far out, but it’s the only real hope for something with a bit of push. The afternoon gets a cross-shore chop, so the morning is the go.

So, to sum it up: there’s nothing worth paddling out for until the morning of Friday the 21st of August for some tiny but clean long-period waves. Then it goes dead for over a week, and the real promise is the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September, with a much stronger, bigger groundswell for the confident surfer. Keep an eye on that one.

Rusty.

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