Aha Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s gonna be a long, quiet wait at Aha Rivermouth for a while. The first week is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got a good stretch starting Sunday the 26th of July all the way through to the 2nd of August with nothing but tiny, weak, junk. Swell heights are barely reaching 1 ft to 1 ft with short periods around 7 to 10 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore, making it a messy, choppy affair. The combined energy is weak, sitting in the low 20s and 40s (42). Don't bother paddling out for that. It’s a real flat spell.

Things start to flicker to life on Monday the 3rd of August. The swell starts to build a little, up to 2 ft to 2 ft, but the real story is the period jumping to 16 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell starting to push in. The energy picks up significantly, reaching 256 to 415. Even with a cross-onshore light breeze, it’s still marginal at best. It's a tease, but not worth getting wet for yet.

Now, Tuesday the 4th of August is where it gets interesting. We wake up to a clean 5 ft swell from the east, with a 16-second period. The wind is glassy in the morning, swinging to a glassy offshore by the afternoon. The combined energy is pumping at 967, moving up to a solid 1258. This is the standout. It’s a small but perfectly clean window. For the experienced surfer, the afternoon looks absolutely pristine. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so a spring suit is fine.

Wednesday the 5th sees the swell jump to 6 ft to 7 ft with the same long 16-second period. The energy is climbing fast, 1913 to 2089. But the wind swings cross-shore, which puts a bit of a wrinkle on it – it’ll be a little lumpy. Still, there’s plenty of power.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are for the brave and the big-wave chargers. The swell is big: 8 ft to 10 ft with a 17-second period. The combined energy is huge, topping out at 4691. It's a very long-period groundswell, which can make a beach/river-mouth break like this close out and get unruly. Thursday morning has clean conditions with a cross-offshore light breeze, which is as good as it gets for those sizes. Friday and Saturday the 7th and 8th of August are simply too big for this break – the swell is predicted to be over 8 ft, and at 10 ft, it’s expert territory only. The wind stays light or glassy, which is a blessing, but that much east swell on a jetty will be a washing machine.

We get a slow downsizing from Sunday the 9th, with the swell dropping back to 8 ft to 8 ft and a 16-second period, but the wind gets a bit sporty, especially Sunday afternoon with a moderate breeze. By Monday the 10th, the swell is dropping back to 5 ft, but a fresh cross-shore wind of 30 km/h kills the quality. It's looking blown out and lumpy.

So, to sum it up: if you want clean, fun waves, your window is Tuesday the 4th of August. The afternoon is the best of the best – glassy, chest-to-head high set waves with serious push. For the big-wave crew, Thursday the 6th morning looks the cleanest of the solid days, but respect the power. This is a long-period east swell, so the river mouth might have some weird currents.

Rusty.

Read more