Anawhata Road (Oaonui) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on the cards for this stretch of coast.

Right off the bat, the first few days are a write-off. We’ve got a big, lumpy, onshore mess to start with. Don’t even bother looking at the water until the wind settles. There’s a couple of real standouts tucked away in the second week, but we’ve got to get through some average conditions first.

For Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th of August, it’s a no-go. The swell is pushing 10 ft to 12 ft from the WSW, but it’s getting hammered by a strong cross-onshore wind. It’s a big, raw ocean with very strong combined swell energy (10847) but it’s all chop and no shape. Not worth your time.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th see the swell ease a touch, but it’s still a mixed bag. By Thursday morning we get a glimpse of clean surf with a cross-offshore breeze, waves around 6 ft from the WSW with a moderate swell energy (1238). It’s clean but only just on the right side of marginal. It’s a shallow window.

Friday the 28th looks to blow up again size-wise, with swell around 10 ft, but that wind is howling out of the north at 28 mph. Even if it’s cross-offshore, that’s a gale. The surf will be clean in a weird way, but it’ll be a battle. That one is for the charger crew only, if anyone.

Saturday the 29th through to Tuesday the 1st of September is a long stretch of poor to mediocre conditions. The swell drops, the wind swings onshore again, and the water is just messy. You’re better off finding something else to do.

Now, Wednesday the 2nd of September is a write-off with fresh cross-shore winds, but then we hit the sweet spot. Starting Thursday the 3rd of September, we get a cleaner trend.

But the real standout is Saturday the 5th of September. This is the one to circle on the calendar. Anawhata Road (Oaonui) is an exposed reef break, and it’s going to be firing. We’re looking at an 8 ft swell from the WSW with a nice 12-second period – that’s proper groundswell. The wind is light out of the east at 6 mph, so it’s going to be clean. The combined swell energy is a solid 2532, so there’s plenty of power. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The water temp is about 57°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

Following that, Sunday the 6th of September is a real treat. The swell drops to a more manageable 4 ft, but the wind goes glassy. We’re talking about a 3 mph southeasterly, creating that perfect, smooth surface. It’s a smaller day but the quality will be magic. Perfect for a longboard or a funboard.

And then Monday the 7th of September is another absolute cracker. The swell is a consistent 6 ft from the WSW, but the period is a very long 16 seconds. That’s deep ocean energy. The wind is light or glassy out of the east-northeast. This is another day for experienced surfers at this reef. The shape will be incredible, with long, powerful lines.

The weekend of the 5th, 6th, and 7th of September is the clear winner. Right now, the 5th and 7th have the size for a proper session, but the 6th is the glassy, smaller-score session. The rest of the window is either too windy, too small, or just messy.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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