Tunnels Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming for our local spot. It's gonna be a bit of a slow starter, so keep your expectations in check.

First thing – the water's a comfortable 80°, which is dead average for this time of year. Now, for the surf. We're looking at a pretty quiet start. The first real chance of anything decent doesn't show up until Thursday the 27th, and even then it's a real borderline situation. Up until that point, from now through Wednesday the 26th, we've got clean, cross-off winds from the ENE, but the swell is just too weak and messy to get excited about. The wave energy is moderate at best, but the conditions are poor. It's basically a flat spell with a bit of chop on top.

Things get a little more interesting around Thursday the 27th. We see a bump in the swell, up to about 4 ft from the South, with a nice long 17-second period. That's groundswell, folks. The energy jumps up a bit, but it's still a marginal call – questionable tide conditions and a fresh 18 mph cross-off breeze from the ENE will keep it from being clean. Not great, but a glimmer.

We then hit another lull until Tuesday the 2nd of September. That's a solid gap of four or five days with nothing worth paddling for. Then, on Tuesday the 2nd, we get a flicker of hope. The wind drops right off – light air from the north at just 3 mph, going cross. The swell is 3 ft from the South with a 17-second period. This is the best on offer for the whole run. It's still a marginal surf, but that light wind is a game-changer. It's the closest we'll get to a proper, clean session.

Then, Wednesday the 3rd into Thursday the 4th sees the conditions improve a touch. On Wednesday afternoon, the wind shifts to a gentle 9 mph cross-off from the NE, and on Thursday morning, it's even lighter at 6 mph from the East. The swell hangs around 2 ft from the South with decent periods. It's not gonna be pumping, but these will be the cleanest, most user-friendly waves of the whole period. For the average surfer, this is the call.

Beyond that, the last few days of the forecast just trail off into weak, short-period swell again.

So, to sum it up: the standout is the morning of Tuesday the 2nd of September at Tunnels, with that near-glass and a solid 3 ft South groundswell. It's the only window where the stars really align. For the rest, it's a waiting game.

Rusty, out.

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