Kalapaki Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Kalapaki Beach. This is a reef setup, so it’s mellow, beginner-friendly, and pretty consistent, but unfortunately, the next couple of weeks look like a bit of a write-off. The water here is sitting at 80°, which is pretty much dead average for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

The first bit of surf we can talk about kicks off on Thursday morning, 30 July. We’ve got a small, clean-ish swell from the south at 3ft, with a period of 13 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell, but it’s small. The combined energy is moderate (438). The problem is the wind is a light cross-onshore from the east, already messing things up with a bit of wind ripple. It’s poor. That trend continues through Thursday afternoon and into Friday, 31 July, where the swell picks up to 5ft from the east-northeast, but the period drops to a short 7 seconds, and the wind gets stronger, into the moderate breeze range, making it choppy and cross-on. The energy climbs to 773, but it’s junk.

Saturday, 1 August, sees a bigger but messy 8ft swell from the east, with a period of 8 seconds. The cross-shore wind is fresh at 19 mph, making it lumpy with a cross-chop. The energy is strong (1171), but the surf quality is marginal at best. This continues into Sunday, 2 August, with similar conditions.

After that, there’s a long gap of poor to marginal surf. The swell drops back to 5ft by Tuesday, 4 August, and the period finally stretches to 12 seconds, but the wind is still cross-shore and the energy is moderate (811). It’s still not clean.

We don’t see a real standout until the tail end of the forecast. On Monday, 10 August, we get a 3ft south swell with a very long period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (680), and the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the northeast. This is the best-looking window. The long period means it’s going to be walled up and a bit straight for a beach break, but at a reef like Kalapaki, it should shape up nicely. Best of the run, with clean conditions. The following morning, Tuesday, 11 August, is also worth a paddle with a 3ft south swell, 15-second period, and light offshore winds from the east-southeast. The energy is moderate (634). This is a promising little window, but it’s over a week away, so don’t lock it in just yet.

After that, the surf fades off into tiny, onshore slop for the rest of the period. Honestly, the pick of the 16 days is the Monday, 10 August, and Tuesday, 11 August, mornings. The rest is a battle with the wind. If you’re a beginner, the surf never gets too big for you, but it’s mostly choppy, so you’ll be working for it.

Rusty.

Read more