Anawhata Road (Oaonui) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next stretch. We’ve only got one spot firing in this entire outlook, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there's a moment of real magic if you can wait it out.

Anawhata Road (Oaonui) is the sole player in the game for the next 16 days, and judging by the swell energy pouring in, it’s going to be an absolute beast. The combined swell energy hits between 6074 and 9953 early on, which is very strong wave energy. But with that comes a major problem: the wind is howling out of WSW at 25 mph, onshore, creating poor, unsurfable conditions right through the first week. You’ll see solid 13ft to 16ft swell, but it’s all blown out. Thursday the 5th and Friday the 6th of September look particularly grim with heavy rain and strong winds.

The saving grace comes on Tuesday, the 8th of September morning. The forecast is calling for a glassy morning with a slight air (wind at a mere 3 mph), and 10ft of WSW swell at 13 seconds. That is a powerful groundswell with a long period, wrapping into this exposed reef. The combined energy is still very strong at 3603. This is the standout – excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The swell matching the optimum direction from SW is a big tick. Keep in mind this is a reef break, and with that kind of size and period, it’s not for beginners. It’s for those who know what they’re doing, and with it being fairly consistent, the sets will keep coming. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, no big anomaly to report.

After that, the 9th of September sees a drop in size to 5ft, but the wind swings offshore from NNE, cleaning it up, but the energy is low (774). Then the 10th of September gets smashed by a near gale from SSE, making it a total write-off. The second half of the run, from the 11th to the 16th of September, offers consistent 8ft to 11ft swell with a long period (13 to 17 seconds) and some promising offshore or cross-off winds from NNE, NE, and even SW, but the scores are marginal. The morning of the 15th of September with 11ft swell and a moderate offshore wind from NNE looks clean and lined up, but it’s not the same magic as that glassy day on the 8th. The afternoon of the 14th also cleans up nicely with a cross-off wind.

Overall, the first week is a write-off due to strong winds. The real window is that one glassy morning on the 8th. After that, there are some decent, but more marginal, sessions in the second week. For most of this run, the combination of strong swell and cross-shore or onshore wind makes it look more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddler, so if you see a kite out there, don’t be jealous.

Rusty.

Read more