Waiaha Rivermouth / Honls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's look at what's cookin' for this stretch. We're talkin' about Waiaha Rivermouth / Honls – a reef break that's strictly for the experienced crowd. Over the next couple weeks, it's gonna be a real mixed bag. The water's sittin' at a warm 81°, which is a touch toastier than usual for this time of year.

It all gets goin' on Monday, July 6th, but honestly, it ain't much to get excited about. We got a 3ft SSW swell, with a real nice long period of 15 seconds – that's proper groundswell energy, with moderate juice (474) behind it. But the wind's comin' from the WNW at 10 km/h, blowin' cross-on, so it's gonna be a bit chopped up. The call says marginal, and I'd have to agree; the tide might throw a wrench in it.

Now, Tuesday morning, July 7th, that's our first real bright spot. The swell drops a hair to 3ft from the SSW, still holdin' that sweet 14-second period (382 energy). But look at the wind – glassy. Dead calm. WSW at just 5 km/h. That's a huge plus. For an advanced reef break like Honls, clean conditions are everything. This is your move in the early window, no doubt about it. You'll get clean, lined-up waves.

Then we hit a real dry spell. From Wednesday the 8th right through to Friday the 10th, the swell drops below 3ft, and the wind is mostly cross or onshore. The energy numbers are down in the low 100s to mid-100s – weak stuff. Not worth paddlin' out.

Saturday, July 11th afternoon has a little somethin'. The swell is only 2ft, but it's from the SSW with an unbelievable 18-second period – that's super long period groundswell (352 energy). And it goes glassy again with a light S wind at 5 km/h. On a reef, that kind of period can be magic, though the size is tiny. It could be a fun sesh on a longboard or a fish if you're willin' to wait.

After that, it's pretty average again. We see a bump in energy around Sunday, July 12th (367 energy, 2ft SW, 16-second period), but the wind is onshore in the morning and then cross-on with rain showers in the arvo. Not clean. The same story rolls on through the middle of the month – plenty of swell energy in the 300–400 range, but the wind just won't play nice.

We get another window on Sunday, July 19th in the afternoon. A 2ft S swell with a 14-second period (303 energy) and... glassy. W wind at 5 km/h. That's your other standout. Clean, lined-up conditions on a reef break for the advanced crew. Crowds can be a thing here sometimes, so with good conditions, expect a few locals in the water.

The very end of the forecast, Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st, sees the swell push up again to 3ft from the S (367 energy), but the wind is messy – cross-shore and onshore. Marginal at best.

So, here's the deal: the best bets are Tuesday morning, July 7th for that glassy, clean SSW groundswell, and Sunday afternoon, July 19th for another glassy window on a small but clean S swell. The rest of the time, you're fightin' the wind or waitin' on tiny waves. For the advanced surfer, those two windows are your golden hours.

Rusty.

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