Arawhata Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looking at the only spot lighting up in this forecast, Arawhata. It’s a reef break that’s fairly consistent and handles a good SW swell. The water’s sitting at about 57°, which is pretty average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Right off the bat, Monday the 24th is a write-off – we’ve got a 12 ft swell but it’s getting hammered by a strong cross-onshore wind. The combined energy is thumping at 10847 (very strong), but it’s just not surfable with that wind. Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th are much the same story: plenty of size, but the wind keeps ruining it. The swell is in the 7 ft to 10 ft range (moderate to large wave energy in the thousands), but it’s cross-onshore or cross-shore with chop. Not worth paddling out.

Now, Thursday the 27th morning is where it finally gets interesting. The swell drops to a clean 6 ft from the WSW with a 13-second period, and the wind swings to a cross-offshore NNW breeze at 12 mph. The energy is still solid (1238) and the conditions are *clean*. This is the first real window for a wave. The 6 ft size is good for intermediate surfers; it’s not too big, not too small. Thursday afternoon stays clean with lighter cross-off winds, same swell size but shifting slightly to the west – that’s a good sign for a reef like Arawhata, the long 12-13 second period will wrap in nicely.

Friday the 28th has size, with a 10 ft NW swell in the morning and an 8 ft WNW in the afternoon, but the wind is screaming at 28 mph and 25 mph cross-off. The energy is big (2036 and 1649), but that’s more of a kite-surfing day for most – it’s just too blown out for a comfortable paddle session.

We hit a rough patch from Saturday the 29th through to Tuesday the 1st of September. Swell drops to 4 ft to 4 ft on Saturday with cross-onshore winds, and then Sunday and Monday see the swell jump back up to 8 ft to 15 ft, but it’s all onshore or cross-onshore with fresh to strong breezes. The energy is moderate to strong (up to 4845), but the quality is poor. Tuesday morning the 1st is still cross-onshore, but Tuesday afternoon the 1st the wind shifts cross-shore with an 8 ft WSW swell and 14-second period – it’s marginal but a step better.

Wednesday the 2nd sees the swell drop to 5 ft-5 ft with that long 15-second period, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore, making it lumpy. Then Thursday the 3rd morning cleans up nicely with a 4 ft swell from the WSW and light cross-off winds – small but clean. Thursday afternoon gets a boost in size to 8 ft, but the period drops to 8 seconds, which is short-period windswell, not great for the reef.

Alright, here’s the standout: Saturday the 5th of September morning. An 8 ft swell from the WSW with a 12-second period, light cross-off breeze from the east at 6 mph, and the combined energy is strong at 2532. The surf report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and that’s because 8 ft is edging toward big, but it’s a solid groundswell with clean conditions. This is the best on offer – a proper session for confident intermediate to expert crew at Arawhata. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have company but nothing insane.

And then Monday the 7th of September is something special. Morning has a 6 ft swell from the WSW with a very long 16-second period, light offshore wind, clean. Afternoon is even better: glassy conditions, same 6 ft swell, 16-second period. The energy is moderate (1719 and 1716) but that period means the waves will have real push and shape. For a reef like Arawhata, that long-period groundswell will set up beautifully. This is the second standout – clean, glassy, and a solid 6 ft. That’s the one to circle on the calendar.

Tuesday the 8th still has clean cross-off winds and a 8 ft to 8 ft swell, but it’s not quite the quality of the 7th. Still a decent option if you miss Monday.

So overall, it’s a mixed bag with a lot of wind-affected days, but Thursday the 27th, Saturday the 5th of September, and especially Monday the 7th of September are where you want to be. Don’t waste your time on the early week.

Rusty.

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