Aha Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s talk about what’s on offer at Aha Rivermouth.

The forecast period opens with a bit of a dampener, to be honest. For the first few days, the ocean is just too angry and messy to get in. There’s a massive pulse of east swell coming through, but the wind is howling onshore, and the combined energy readings are enormous – we’re talking numbers like 1714 and 2147 on Tuesday, and then it just gets wilder. By Wednesday morning, the swell is pushing 8 ft from the east with a 17-second period, but it’s still blown out, and the energy is pumping at 4392. This is not a paddle-out situation; it’s a watch-from-the-beach show. Thursday and Friday are even more extreme with hurricane-force winds and swell heights over 16 ft, so that’s strictly for the experts only, if anyone. The combined energy hits 74879 on Friday – that’s not just a surf warning, that’s a danger zone.

The real standout here is a window that opens up around Wednesday, the 12th of August. The light winds swing light and cross-offshore, and the swell drops right back to a clean, manageable 3 ft from the east-northeast. The period is a solid 12–13 seconds, giving the waves some real shape and push. The combined energy is a modest 317 (Wednesday morning), which is weak overall, but for this break, that’s perfect. The water temperature is sitting at a noticeable 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. For a rivermouth setup that can get messy, this is a rare moment of calm and quality. Aha Rivermouth is a beach and jetty break that’s fairly consistent, but it’s exposed, so you need the wind to play nice. When you get light cross-off breezes and a clean 3 ft swell from the east-northeast, it’s about as good as it gets here. The best of the best is the morning of Wednesday the 12th – that’s the one to pencil in.

After that, things get a bit meh again. The swell sticks around at around 3 ft but the wind turns onshore and choppy, and the combined energy stays weak in the 200–300 range. There’s a flicker of hope on the 17th of August with a 5 ft east swell and a 12-second period, and the wind is clean cross-offshore, but the guidance says it’s marginal due to tide. It’s worth a look if you’re desperate, but it’s not the same magic as that Wednesday. The last few days of the forecast window are more of the same – small, clean, but nothing special.

So, overall, if you’re keen, you’re waiting for that Wednesday the 12th. Everything else is either too big, too windy, or too small. Get out there for that window, and it’ll be a glassy, fun session.

- Rusty

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