Anawhata Road (Oaonui) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into what’s cooking for Anawhata Road (Oaonui). This is a reef break, open to the SW, and it’s fairly consistent, so there’s usually something to work with, but we’ve got a rough start.

The first few days are a total washout, no two ways about it. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are ugly with strong cross-onshore winds and just awful surf. The swell is there, around 6 ft to 7 ft from the WSW, but it’s all chop and no shape. The combined wave energy is high, around 1703 to 2377, but it’s all wind slop. Don’t even bother.

Sunday the 19th is still pretty average. The morning is onshore and lumpy, but the afternoon calms down a bit with a light breeze from the south at 6 mph, though it’s still cross-on and the surf is only marginal. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Now, Monday the 20th is where things start to look up. The wind swings to the east, light at 6 mph, and it’s cross-offshore. The swell is 6 ft from the WSW, period 14 seconds, and the combined energy drops to 1127. It’s clean, and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is the first real highlight. The morning is the best, with the afternoon still good but a bit smaller at 5 ft.

Tuesday the 21st morning is still clean with light cross-offshore winds from the NNW, but the swell drops to 4 ft, period 13 seconds. It’s a fun size, but nothing special. The afternoon turns ugly with a cross-shore wind kicking up and the surf turning poor.

We then hit another rough patch from Wednesday the 22nd through to Thursday the 24th. The wind is either onshore or cross-shore, with short-period windswell and poor conditions. The swell is there, but it’s messy. Friday the 24th afternoon has a pulse of 7 ft, but it’s onshore and short-period, so no good.

Saturday the 25th is a total loss for paddle surfing. We’ve got an 12 ft swell from the WSW, but the wind is howling from the SSE at 37 mph, creating a near-gale cross-shore mess. The energy is 2930, but it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a surfer’s wave. This is for the crazies only.

Sunday the 26th is marginal, with a 7 ft swell and light cross-offshore winds in the morning. The period is 14 seconds, so there’s some energy, but the conditions are still questionable.

The next real standout is further out, on Wednesday the 29th of July. The wind is light from the north, cross-offshore, and the swell is 7 ft from the WSW, period 13 seconds. The combined energy is 1356, and the conditions are clean and excellent for experienced surfers. This is the pick of the whole forecast, but it’s a long-range one, so don’t book the week off yet. The afternoon holds similar quality at 6 ft with a 16-second period.

After that, the end of the month and into early August is a mix of clean but marginal conditions. The morning of Saturday the 1st of August has a 8 ft swell with light cross-offshore winds, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weak and lumpy. The afternoon jumps to 12 ft, but it’s a short-period windswell again.

So, the first week is a write-off. The second week has a couple of clean windows, but the one to aim for is Monday the 20th and Wednesday the 29th. That Wednesday looks like the real deal.

Rusty.

Read more