Aha Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, folks. Rusty here. It's a bit of a tough read for the Aha Rivermouth region over the next sixteen days. The swell windows just aren't lining up with the wind gods, and for a spot that likes a NE swell, things are looking pretty messy. There's a lot of strong, nasty wind in the forecast, so patience is going to be a virtue.

Looking at the whole picture, the first few days are a write-off. From Wednesday the 26th of August right through to Monday the 7th of September, the wind is howling from the wrong quadrants, mostly onshore or cross-shore, and it's blowing a gale or near-gale most of the time. The swell is either tiny or coming from the wrong direction (E, SE, ESE), and the wave energy is mostly weak to moderate, in the low hundreds. There is a big spike on the 31st of August and 1st of September, with wave energy jumping into the thousands (803 to 6084), but the wind is a mess—strong breeze to near gale—so it's just blown-out chaos. The size also gets up to 13 ft, which is way too big for this setup, and it's poor surf conditions across the board.

The only real standout, and it's a big one, is on Wednesday the 2nd of September. We've got a massive 28 ft swell coming from the N and NW, with a period of 11 seconds. That's a huge amount of energy, clocking in at over 18,000 in the combined energy. The really interesting part is the wind is due to be cross-off and clean, which is a serious positive. The problem is, the file itself tells us the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. That’s a monster. For a beach/jetty setup, a 28 ft NW swell with a long period is going to be a washing machine, even with clean wind. It's a true sight to behold from the shore, but only for absolute experts with a death wish. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual to report.

After that huge pulse, the surf drops quickly and the wind turns back onshore or cross-onshore, and it's back to poor conditions for the rest of the forecast period. The wind stays strong, even hitting gale force on the 8th and 9th of September, making it just a battle out there.

So, honestly, there's no good surf on offer here unless you're a madman on a big wave gun. The 2nd of September is the only day with a pulse, but it’s a dangerous one. For the rest, it's a long, blank stretch. The consistency is fairly consistent here normally, but this stretch is just a bad run of weather. It's more of a kite-surfing window for most of the period, given the strong, cross-shore winds and the big, messy swell.

Stay safe, and wait for the next one.

Rusty.

Read more