Hanamizu River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on the table for Hanamizu River over the next couple of weeks.

First up, water temp is sitting at a pretty normal 80°F for this time of year, so warm enough for a spring suit or just boardshorts.

Truth is, we’ve got a long dry spell to kick things off. From now through the 23rd of August, it’s pretty much a write-off. The swell is tiny – we’re talking 0.7ft to 3ft of weak, short-period stuff, with combined energies barely cracking 100, and the wind is mostly rubbish. The only tiny glimmer is Saturday morning the 22nd, where it goes glassy, but with a measly 1ft on offer, it’s not worth paddling out for.

We finally see some life on the morning of Monday the 24th. The swell jumps to 4ft from the SSE with a very long 16-second period. The combined energy hits 1389, a solid kick of power. It’s surfable, but with onshore wind, it’s marginal.

The standout window is the morning of Friday the 28th. We’ve got a clean 7ft south swell with a 10-second period and a light offshore breeze from the WSW. The energy is strong at 1097, and the waves should be proper. This is the pick of the bunch for anyone who knows what they’re doing. The afternoon of the 28th looks even cleaner, going glassy with that same 7ft south swell, though the period drops a bit to 9 seconds. Still, glassy conditions on a decent-sized swell are a treat.

After that, it trails off, with a few clean mornings but much smaller waves dropping below 3ft. From the 31st onwards, you’re looking at clean, offshore winds but tiny 2ft to 2ft leftovers. Not enough grunt to get excited about unless you’re on a longboard.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a bust, but that Friday the 28th is your day. It’s a river mouth sandbar, so expect it to be peaky. Don't sleep on it.

- Rusty

Read more