Boneyards Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

Honestly, the next week and a half is going to test your patience if you’re chasing waves at Boneyards. We've got a long stretch of junk to sift through before things start to line up, and even then, it’s not going to be for the faint of heart.

First off, the water is running about 3°F colder than usual for this time of year, so you're gonna want that extra layer.

The next few days are a write-off. Strong southeast winds are going to be howling, which will chop things up and make it a battle just to get out the back. Thursday the 3rd is poor, and Friday the 4th is even worse with gale-force offshore winds. There's surf there, maybe 2-3ft, but it's not going to be any fun. This is a full-on skip. Same for Saturday the 5th – the wind eases slightly, but it's still strong and the swell is tiny.

We’re looking at a solid stretch of nothing good until we hit the start of next week. But hold on to your board, because Sunday the 6th is the first real standout.

Sunday the 6th is the one to circle on the calendar. The wind swings offshore and drops to a moderate breeze. We’ve got a proper SW groundswell filling in, and it’s a solid 8ft with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy is pumping hard at 3511 units. This is a serious, powerful swell. Boneyards (Northland) is going to be handling it, and given it's an exposed reef break, it should be firing. The long period is a plus for a reef setup like this, giving it shape, but at this size, it's only for experienced surfers. There are crowds to contend with sometimes, but on a day like this, the line-up will be thinned out by the heavy conditions. This is easily the best on offer.

Sunday afternoon will still be good, easing to a 7ft with a 16-second period, but it’s a step down from the morning session.

Monday the 7th is a letdown after that. The wind swings onshore and it turns into a messy, choppy 7ft. Maybe there's a wave on the low tide, but it's not looking good. We then hit another dry spell mid-week. Tuesday the 8th has some clean but small surf – 5ft – as the swell backs right off. Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are poor with strong cross-off winds creating bumpy conditions and a building, jumbled swell.

We then come to another quiet, windy stretch from Friday the 11th through to Saturday the 12th. Strong offshore winds are back, which make it glassy, but they're so strong it's near-impossible to paddle into the small, weak waves.

Then, there's the second standout, a while away, but looking promising.

Sunday the 13th is the other real highlight. We've got another run of SW energy, a bit smaller at 5ft, but with a clean 12-13 second period. The wind is a moderate offshore in the morning, easing to light in the afternoon. The energy is solid at 1437 units. It looks like a proper, clean, powerful day at Boneyards. It won't be as big as the 6th, but it could be a much more manageable size with good conditions. Given it's over a week out, you'd want to be hopeful but not locked in – long-range forecasts can have surprises.

After that, the window closes again. Monday the 14th looks rough with a big 8ft cross-onshore mess. Then we get a run of clean but unremarkable surf from Tuesday the 15th (6ft) into Wednesday morning (3ft), before the wind builds again. Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th are back to strong, clean winds with a rising southwest swell, but that near-gale offshore wind is going to make it brutal.

So there you have it. A long, frustrating wait, but a couple of proper days to get excited about. Get your rest in, the 6th is a big one, and the 13th could be a classic.

Rusty.

Read more