Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on the cards for Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay. It’s a bit of a wild ride ahead, so let’s get straight into it.

The pattern is set to start with a bang, but it’s a bang that’s going to be too much for most of us. We’ve got a serious pulse of energy rolling in from Tuesday the 7th of July, with combined swell energy readings hitting 1564 (moderate to strong) and it only gets bigger from there. The swell is predicted to be too big for this break through much of the first week, with heights climbing well over 7 ft and hitting 10 ft on Thursday the 9th. That’s expert-only territory, and with winds being cross-on or onshore and gusty, the conditions are going to be pretty ordinary. Honestly, it looks more like a day for the kite surfers than a paddle session. We are looking at a solid 3 days from Tuesday to Friday where the surf is just too big and messy.

A bit of a reprieve shows up on Saturday the 11th of July. The swell drops to a more manageable 6 ft from the east, with a period of 10 seconds. The morning is still a bit cross-on, but the afternoon is the standout. The wind goes glassy with a slight air, and for the experienced surfer, the conditions are rated as excellent. Crowds could be around though, so keep that in mind. That Saturday afternoon window is the best on offer for that first week.

After that, the energy really drops off. We go into a quiet spell from Sunday the 12th onwards. The swell bottoms out to under 3 ft, with the cleanest conditions coming from a light offshore breeze. The combined energy falls to between 93 and 703 (weak to moderate), so it’s small and weak. The best of this mellow period looks like Tuesday the 21st of July. Winds go light offshore from the NNW, the swell is a clean 5 ft from the ESE with a nice 12-second period, and the conditions are clean. It’s a long-range call, so don’t book your flights yet, but that Tuesday morning is the real standout of the second week. The rest of that week is small but clean.

The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary to report.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is mostly too big and windy, with the one shining window on Saturday the 11th afternoon. The second week is small but clean, with the best chance for a sneaky session on Tuesday the 21st morning. Keep an eye on the forecasts, things can change.

Rusty.

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