Kahutara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s coming up for Kahutara.

First off, the water temp is sitting at 50°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. Nothing unusual.

We’ve got a slow start, but things kick off on Thursday afternoon the 13th with some knee-high, 3ft swell from the ENE. The period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s not packing much punch, but the wind is absolutely glassy – zero, dead calm. That means the surface will be like a mirror. It’s not big, but for a beginner-friendly reef and point like this, it’s a lovely little session to get wet. The combined energy is weak at 226.

Friday morning the 14th drops even smaller to 2ft, but again it’s glassy. The waves are there, but they’re pretty ordinary. Friday afternoon gets a light onshore breeze and the quality drops right off.

Saturday the 15th has a tiny 1ft swell in the morning with a very long 17-second period from the S. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s so small it’s barely breaking. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so the clean conditions are wasted on the size. The afternoon picks up a little to 3ft, but the wind swings cross-shore and the period drops to 8 seconds – just a messy, marginal day.

Sunday the 16th is where things get meaty. We’re looking at a solid 7ft swell from the S in the morning, with a short 8-second period. The wind is a moderate 25 km/h from the SW, cross-offshore, so the waves will be clean. But at 7ft, this is getting into expert territory, especially for a reef and point. The combined energy is strong at 717. Afternoon stays at 6ft, same wind, still clean, but it’s still a powerful, punchy wave. Not for the faint-hearted.

Now, Monday the 17th is a real standout. The morning brings a 3ft swell from the SSW with a gorgeous 15-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the WSW, making for some beautifully clean lines. The combined energy is moderate at 674. This is the kind of session where you’ll be trading off long waits for really nice, well-shaped waves. The afternoon bumps up to 6ft with a shorter period, so stick to the morning.

Tuesday the 18th is a bit of a letdown after that. Swell drops to 4ft, period is short, and the wind is up to 20 km/h. It’s surfable but nothing special.

Then we hit Wednesday the 19th. This is the absolute best of the whole outlook. The morning has 5ft swell from the S with a monster 16-second period – that’s very long period groundswell. The combined energy is a whopping 2085, which is very strong. The wind is light and cross-off, creating clean, powerful, long-running waves. This is a day for experienced surfers, and it will be absolutely pumping at Kahutara. The afternoon sees a slight drop in period and the wind goes cross-shore, but the morning is the window.

Thursday the 20th is still good, with 5ft from the S at 12 seconds and glassy conditions in the morning. The energy is strong at 712. Another solid day.

Friday the 21st is another glassy morning with 4ft from the S at 14 seconds. The energy is moderate at 586. Clean, long-period waves again.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd sees the swell dropping through the 3ft mark and below, with light offshore winds, but the energy fades. By Sunday the 23rd, it’s really small again.

Monday the 24th has a surprise bump of 2ft from the S with a 14-second period in the morning, and glassy conditions in the afternoon. It’s small, but clean.

The final week flattens out significantly. Tuesday the 25th has some small 4ft NNE windswell, but it’s short period. Wednesday the 26th is tiny. Thursday the 27th gets a bit of size from the ENE but with a nasty onshore wind, making it choppy and poor. Friday the 28th is back to small, clean ankle-biters.

So, to sum it up: the absolute best on offer is Wednesday morning the 19th of August. That’s the one. Big, long-period groundswell, clean conditions, and a boatload of energy. It’s a true stand-out. The Monday morning the 17th is your second best bet for a cleaner, more manageable session. Everything else is either small, short-period, or blown out.

Rusty, signing off.

Read more