Napier - Hardings Road Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you straight up, it’s a flat spell and it’s going to be a long one. We’re looking at a solid stretch of nothing doing for the next 16 days.

Looking at the whole run, I’ve got to be honest: there’s nothing that’s really going to get you wet. The first recommendation is for Hardings Road (Napier) on the 25th of August, but it’s a total non-starter. We’re talking about tiny, knee-high dribble at 0.3 ft from the NE with a weak 4-second period. The combined swell energy is a pathetic 1. Even though the wind turns glassy in the afternoon, you can’t surf what isn’t there. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

From there, it’s a brutal run. The 26th, 27th, and 28th of August are all complete write-offs. The swell is either nonexistent or, on the 28th, we get a weak 3 ft from the ENE at 5 seconds with a combined energy of 32. That’s still not enough to push a surfable wave, and the wind is a messy cross-onshore, making it choppy garbage. This is set up for the kite surfers, not paddle surfers.

The 29th and 30th of August are just flatter again. There’s a tiny uptick on the 31st with a 0.7 ft swell from the ENE and an 8-second period, which is a slightly longer period, but the energy is still just 6. It’s still too small to bother with. The 1st of September is the same story – a momentary glassy afternoon with a 2 ft swell from the NE, but it’s a 3-second period on a weak energy of 7. It’s a cruel tease.

The rest of the first week of September stays in the same gutter. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th all show tiny, weak swells with poor conditions. There’s a moment on the 4th with offshore wind from the SW, but it’s only 0.3 ft. You can’t ride a ripple.

The second week doesn’t offer any hope either. From the 5th to the 9th of September, it’s more of the same: tiny, weak, and mostly cross-onshore or onshore wind. The best energy we see is a combined 47 on the 7th, from a 2 ft NE swell at 6 seconds, but the wind is a messy cross-onshore, so it’s chop on top of nothing.

So, look, I can’t sugarcoat it. This is a 16-day blank run. The spot is "inconsistent" for a reason, and this is one of those stretches where it just doesn’t work. The forecasts can change, but as it stands, it’s a dry spell.

Rusty out.

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