Karekare Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the full picture for Karekare over the next couple of weeks. Let’s get into it.

The water’s sitting at 57.4°F right now, which is about average for the time of year—nothing weird there. The first few days are a bit of a mixed bag, but we’ve got a real standout session coming up that’ll get the blood pumping.

Saturday 1 August kicks off with some solid energy—11.5ft of swell from the WSW, with a period of 13 seconds and a combined energy of 4595. That’s proper strong energy. The wind’s light easterly offshore in the morning, keeping things clean, but honestly, this swell is pushing into the too-big-for-beginners territory at over 8.2ft, so it’s only for the experienced crew. By afternoon, the wind swings SE, still cross-offshore, and it stays clean, but the size is still hefty. This is a session for the brave, not the casual.

Sunday 2 August sees the swell drop to 6.6ft in the morning, still from the SW, with a period of 12 seconds and moderate energy at 1136. The wind is cross-offshore, but the surf is marginal—tide’s not playing ball. Afternoon clears up, wind light cross-shore, but the swell’s a bit smaller at 6.2ft and the energy drops to 919. Not worth paddling out for.

Monday 3 August through Tuesday 4 August is a write-off. Strong cross-onshore winds from the SW and WSW, gusting 16 mph, with choppy, messy conditions. The swell’s around 4.6ft to 6.6ft, and the energy is moderate to strong, but the wind is trashing it. Save your energy.

Wednesday 5 August – now we’re talking. Early morning, the wind swings back to an easterly offshore at 6 mph, and the swell is 7.2ft from the SW with a 14-second period and energy of 2011. This is a standout for the experienced surfer—clean, powerful, and the wind is perfect. The period is long enough to really shape the waves, but it’s a bit big for beginners. This is the best on offer in the first week. Afternoon gets a bit messy with a light cross-shore, but the morning is gold.

Thursday 6 August has a smaller, cleaner pulse. Morning swell is 4.3ft from the WSW with a 12-second period, energy at 532, and light offshore winds. By afternoon, it goes glassy—zero wind, 3.6ft swell from the SW, and energy of 379. This is a nice, mellow session for all levels, but not a standout.

Friday 7 August morning has 2.0ft of swell from the SW, clean with light offshore winds, but it’s tiny. Afternoon gets blown out with a cross-onshore breeze.

Saturday 8 August is messy—short-period NW windswell of 7.2ft to 7.5ft, period of 8 seconds, and cross-onshore winds. Not your friend.

Sunday 9 August sees a return of clean conditions. The swell is only 3.9ft, but it’s from the WSW with a very long 19-second period, and energy of 1653. The wind is a strong easterly offshore at 16 mph, keeping the waves clean, but that long period means the sets are far apart and the waves will be more walled-up at a beach break like Karekare. It’s a bit of a caveat—this is a groundswell built for reefs or points, but if you’re patient, there’ll be some epic lines.

Monday 10 August through Tuesday 11 August – the wind cranks up from the ENE, strong offshore at 19–25 mph. The swell is short-period (8 seconds) around 7.9ft to 8.2ft on Monday, then drops to 3.6ft on Tuesday. The offshore wind is strong, making it clean but hard to paddle into. It’s a challenge.

Wednesday 12 August to Thursday 13 August – the swell fades to 2.0ft–3.3ft, with fresh offshore winds, but the energy is low (217–833). Not much to get excited about.

Friday 14 August to Saturday 15 August – swell picks up again to 4.6ft–6.9ft from the WSW, with periods of 14–18 seconds, and moderate energy. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but the surf is still marginal. Saturday afternoon gets a cross-onshore blow, so morning is the call.

Sunday 16 August – another chance for the experienced crew. Morning swell is 6.9ft from the WSW, 14-second period, energy of 1922, with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s clean and powerful, but at over 6.6ft, it’s for the confident surfer. Good way to finish the forecast period.

The standout:

Read more