Tunnels Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Alright, let’s be straight up. We’re looking at a 16-day window for Tunnels, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a grind for a while. The first week is pretty average at best, with small swell and a persistent cross-off wind that’s not doing us any favours. The quality just isn’t there. But don’t write it off completely – things start to pick up in the second week with a real injection of size and energy, though the wind remains a bit of a bugbear.

We kick off on the 1st of August with a measly 2 ft SW groundswell, period around 14 seconds. The wind is howling from the ENE at 25 mph, a strong cross-off. Combined wave energy is only 175, which is weak. It’s clean but that’s about all you can say. This sets the tone for the next several days. From Saturday through to the following Friday, we’ve got tiny 1 ft to 2 ft swell, mostly from the SSW. The energy readings hover between 50 and 210 – weak to low-moderate. It’s clean, but there’s no power to work with.

Around Thursday the 7th, we do see a spike in period – 20 seconds – with the swell swinging more SW, but the energy is still only 210 and the wind is up at 19 mph. It’s not doing anything for us.

Now, as we move into the second week, the swell starts to build. On Monday the 10th, we get a jump to 3 ft from the SSW, with energy jumping to 427 (moderate). Still cross-off wind, but the wave state is clean. You start to see something happening. By Wednesday the 12th, the combined energy skyrockets to 891 (strong) with 3 ft S swell and a 19-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means better shaped waves and more push, but at a beach break like Tunnels, it can be a bit straight. Still, that’s the best energy reading in the whole run.

The momentum continues. The 13th and 14th see consistent 3 ft S swell with energy in the 729 to 897 range – strong stuff. Wind is still a moderate to fresh cross-off from the ENE, so it’s not perfect, but the ocean has some real grunt. The standout in the whole forecast is the 12th of August, Wednesday afternoon: 3 ft S swell, 18-second period, and a combined energy of 891. That’s the biggest pulse of energy we see. It’s not a classic Tunnels day with the cross-off breeze, but it’s the only time you’re going to feel any real power under your board.

For the last couple of days, the wind swings the swell direction to the W. On the 15th, we’ve got 4 ft at 14 seconds, energy 721, but again the ENE wind is cranking at 19 mph. The 16th is similar. All this wind and chop might make it more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

Overall, it’s a patchy outlook. The first week is a write-off for any decent waves. The second week has size and energy, but the wind never lets up enough to make it truly epic. The 12th of August is your best shot – it’s got the most energy and period, but don’t expect perfection.

Rusty.

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