Kahutara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up. Rusty here, and I've been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, so let's break it down.

We've got a decent run of surf kicking off right away, but don't expect any miracles in the long run. The water's sitting right around the seasonal average for this time of year, so no drama there.

Wednesday the 5th is where we start, and it's a proper wake-up call. Kahutara (Chatham Islands) is going to be handling a solid 10ft of southerly swell, with a period of 12 seconds. That's a lot of energy—we're talking moderate-strong power. The wind is a cross-offshore at 9 mph, which will keep it reasonably clean, but this is serious, powerful surf. This is experienced surfer territory only; beginners need to stay well clear. The swell drops a touch to 8ft in the afternoon, but it's still a beast.

Thursday the 6th is a big step down in size but a big step up in quality. The morning has 6ft of SSE swell with a light offshore breeze, and then the afternoon goes totally glassy with a 5ft SE swell. This is where the magic happens. The winds are light or calm, and the conditions are going to be clean and inviting. This is a much better window for a broader range of surfers.

Friday the 7th keeps the good times rolling. The morning brings in 5ft of S swell with a much longer 14-second period, which means some serious groundswell energy. The offshore wind will have it holding up nicely. The afternoon goes dead calm and glassy with 4ft of S swell. This is a classic, clean, lined-up sort of day.

Saturday the 8th is still fun, with 4ft of S swell and glassy conditions in the morning. The afternoon gets a bit of a cross-on breeze which will make it less appealing, but the morning session is worth it.

Sunday the 9th is another good one. The morning has 4ft of SSE swell with a light offshore wind, and the afternoon goes glassy again with a 12-second period. Consistent and clean.

From Monday the 10th, things start to get a bit ordinary. The swell drops, and the wind turns onshore or cross-shore, making conditions choppy. The energy drops right off, and the surf quality goes with it. We're looking at a flat spell that starts around Monday and runs through the middle of the week.

The models are showing a bit of a pulse around Friday the 14th in the afternoon, with 4ft of short-period S swell, but it's pretty weak. The real interest is the long-period energy showing up on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. We're talking 3ft to 4ft of S swell with periods of 19 to 20 seconds. That's some very long-period groundswell. It will be clean, but at a beach-and-reef setup like Kahutara, that long period can make it break a bit straight. It's promising, but a week out, I'd call it a hopeful maybe.

Then there's a pulse of energy for Tuesday the 18th. The morning looks good with 7ft of S swell and a clean cross-offshore wind, but the afternoon ramps up to 8ft with a stronger 16 mph wind. This is back to expert territory, and the wind might be the bigger issue.

The standout days for me are clear: Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th. You've got clean, manageable swell, light winds, and good consistency. That's your best bet for a proper surf. The long-period stuff on the 15th and 16th is worth keeping an eye on, but it's a week out, so I'd treat it with caution.

As for the rest of the window, we'll be waiting for a proper swell. The conditions are looking sub-par for a while there, so it might be a bit of a waiting game. Things can change, but as it stands, we've got a good start and a few promising blips later on.

Rusty out.

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