Kahutara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down in feet and miles per hour.

We’ve got a slow start with small, weak surf for a few days, but the real action starts to build by the end of the month and into early September. The standout window is Monday the 31st of August through to Wednesday the 2nd of September — that’s where it’s at.

Friday 28th and Saturday 29th are pretty average. Waves around 3 feet, period around 10-12 seconds, moderate energy. Winds are mostly cross-off or cross, so it’s rideable but nothing to write home about. Water temp’s about 51°F, which is normal for this time of year.

Sunday 30th is tiny and messy. Early morning has 1 ft with a long period of 13 seconds but energy is weak. By the afternoon, a fresh offshore kicks up at 22 mph, but it’s still only 2 ft. Not worth paddling out.

Then Monday 31st August morning — bingo. Clean, light offshore wind from the WNW at 6 mph, swell jumping to 8 ft from the south at 11 seconds. Energy is solid. This is a proper groundswell with good shape, and it’s a point and reef set-up, so it’ll handle that longer period well. The afternoon stays clean with gentle offshore wind, 6 ft, and good energy. This is the best session of the whole run.

Tuesday 1st September morning is huge — 18 ft from the south, period 13 seconds, energy massive. That’s way too big for Kahutara — it’s a reef and point that can handle a lot, but over 8 ft is for experts only. The wind is cross-off from the WSW at 16 mph, so it’s clean, but this is only for the brave. The afternoon drops to 12 ft, but cross-shore wind makes it choppy — not ideal.

Wednesday 2nd September is a beauty. Morning has glassy conditions — 6 ft from the south, period 11 seconds, good energy. Glassy offshore wind is a huge plus, so the waves will be clean and lined up. Afternoon stays clean with gentle offshore wind.

After that, the swell slowly fades. Thursday 3rd to Friday 4th still has 4 to 4 ft waves with light winds, good for a fun session if you’re keen, but nothing standout.

From Saturday 5th September onward, surf drops right off — 1 ft to 2 ft for days, and energy is very weak. This flat spell lasts through until around Thursday 10th September, when a new SSW swell of 10 ft shows up, but it’s cross-shore and messy at 9 seconds — period’s too short for good shape, and the conditions aren’t clean.

Friday 11th September sees a return of cleaner surf: 5 ft to 6 ft from the south, period 11-12 seconds, good energy. Winds are cross-off, so it’s worth a look, but at this range it’s more of a promising hope than a sure thing.

Saturday 12th September offers one more decent session in the morning: 5 ft, period 9 seconds, light offshore wind, moderate energy. Then it’s blown out in the afternoon.

Overall, the clear standout is Monday 31st August morning and Wednesday 2nd September morning — both have good south swell, clean winds, and solid energy for this spot. The Tuesday is for experts only due to size. After that, a long flat gap starts from the 5th, so make the most of the first week.

Rusty.

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