Arawhata Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming our way for the next couple of weeks.

First off, the water temp at Arawhata is sitting at 57°F, which is only about a degree off the long-term average, so nothing out of the ordinary there – feels pretty standard for this time of year.

To be honest, the first week is a bit of a bust. We've got a solid slug of westerly groundswell pushing in, but the wind is just all over the place. Tuesday, the 4th of August, is a total no-go: the swell is a messy 10ft from the WSW with a short, weak 9-second period and a 30 km/h SSW wind blowing straight on. The combined energy is huge at 2549, but it's just a washing machine. That sets the tone for a few days. Wednesday, the 5th, is a bit smaller but still cross and lumpy. Thursday, the 6th, drops right off to 2ft, hardly worth getting wet for. Friday and Saturday aren't much better, with a bit of a bump from the NW but very short period – 8 seconds on Saturday, which is just mushy.

There's a real gap in quality surf here. From Tuesday the 4th right through to the morning of Monday the 10th, it's all marginal or poor. We're looking at nearly a week of average to rubbish conditions.

Things start to look a little more interesting toward the middle of the month. Wednesday, the 12th of August, has a tiny 3ft swell, but it's rocking a very long 17-second period out of the WSW. The wind is a light offshore from the NNE, and the energy reading is 471. It's small, but that long period and clean wind could make for some fun, lined-up waves if you're on a log. Then Thursday the 13th of August morning is the first real standout. We've got 3ft of WSW groundswell at 16 seconds, combined energy of 995, and a light offshore from the NE. The forecast says "very good surf conditions." That's a no-brainer – Arawhata is a reef, so it's going to love that long period. Clean, glassy, and with that energy, it should be a great session. Get on it.

After that, it gets wild again. The weekend of the 15th and 16th of August sees a massive pulse of energy. The swell jumps to 13ft and 15ft, with combined energy readings going through the roof – 7004, 7191, and even 9822 on the Sunday morning. That's a lot of water moving. The wind on Sunday the 16th morning is light and variable from the east, with a 17-second period, making it clean. But this is strictly for experts only; 12ft of long-period groundswell on a reef is a serious, heavy wave. The afternoon is even bigger at 13ft, but the wind swings onshore, making it a bit of a washing machine again. The following Monday and Tuesday look similar – big, powerful, but with cross-shore winds, so it's going to be bumpy. The standout there is early Tuesday the 18th of August morning: 15ft of WSW swell, combined energy of 5681, and a light offshore breeze. That's a massive, clean, powerful swell for the brave.

So, if you're an expert, the best window is the morning of Sunday the 16th of August – that's the big one, clean and terrifying. For the rest of us, the clear winner is the morning of Thursday the 13th of August. It's small, but it's perfect.

Rusty.

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