Waiaha Rivermouth / Honls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

We’re kicking off the outlook on Thursday afternoon, July 30th, but honestly, don’t get your hopes up for the first week and a half. The surf is tiny and the wind is messy. There’s a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions, with barely a ripple to get excited about. The water temp is sitting at 81° which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.

The one spot on the radar is Waiaha Rivermouth / Honls (Honls). This is a reef break for advanced surfers only, and it’s fairly consistent. It’s exposed to the swell, and it loves an optimum swell from the SSW. For the first few days, the swell is small—2ft to 2ft—and the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, keeping things messy. The combined energy is weak, with values like 325 and 250, which is just not enough grunt.

The real story doesn’t start until Sunday, August 9th. That’s where the dial starts to turn. The morning of the 9th sees a bump in swell to 2ft from the SSW, with a period of 18 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, and the energy jumps to 572 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-on, so it’s workable. But the standout is Sunday afternoon, August 9th. The wind goes glassy—light NNW at 3 mph—and the swell picks up to 3ft from the SSW. The period is still a nice 18 seconds, and the energy is pumping at 819 (moderate). This is the best session on offer. Clean, glassy conditions with a long period SSW swell. That is a proper window of opportunity at Honls.

Monday, August 10th holds onto the swell, with 4ft sets from the SSW, but the wind swings cross-on again, so it’s not as pure. The energy is still strong at 972 (moderate). It’s still worth a look, but the glassy Sunday arvo is the pick.

After that, the surf slowly fades through the rest of the week, with dropping swell heights and energy back into the 400-600 range. The wind stays light, but it’s mostly cross-on or onshore, so it’s a slow fade to marginal.

For the experts: Sunday afternoon, August 9th is your moment. The glassy conditions and that long period SSW groundswell will make Honls a proper challenge. For the rest of the run, it’s flat or marginal.

Rusty.

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