Aha Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, mate—Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and talk about what’s actually happening on the water at Aha Rivermouth.

First up, the water temp’s sitting at a pretty standard 82°, nothin’ weird there for this time of year. But honestly, for the next week and a half, the story is mostly a grim one. We’ve got a solid stretch of nothing worth paddling out for from now through to about the 10th of September. That’s a long, dry spell.

The biggest issue is the wind. For days on end, we’re looking at fresh to strong cross and cross-onshore breezes, often 19 to 28 mph, and even near-gale and storm-force gusts later on. That’s gonna turn the surface into a lumpy, choppy mess. Swell does show up—there’s a big pulse of 10 ft to 13 ft easterly swell around the 31st of August through the 2nd of September, with combined wave energy readings in the thousands (1389 to 2902). But the wind is so bad it’s just a washing machine. That kind of setup, especially at a beach/jetty spot, is more of a kite-surfing situation than a paddle-surfing one.

There are a few afternoons, like the 1st and 2nd of September, where the wind goes cross-off and the surface cleans up, but the swell is either too big (8 ft to 12 ft +) or the comments say it’s “too big for this break” or just marginal. Not worth the risk unless you’re an expert and you love a challenge in stormy conditions. The crowd at Aha Rivermouth can show up sometimes, but with conditions this rough, I reckon you’ll have it to yourself—for good reason.

Now, a glimmer of hope. Toward the end of the forecast, on the 11th of September, things start to look a bit more interesting. The morning of Friday the 11th has clean conditions with a moderate breeze, cross-off wind, and a 6 ft swell coming from the ESE with a period of 10 seconds. Combined energy is 616—moderate, but decent. It’s only a “marginal” call, but that’s the best we’ve seen in a long time. That’s the standout, if you can wait that long.

Overall, the first 11 days are mostly a write-off for quality surf. The 11th of September morning is your best bet, but keep expectations in check—it’s not going to be epic, just cleaner than everything else.

Rusty.

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