Karekare Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, with a look at what’s coming up for Karekare over the next couple of weeks.

Alright, let’s be straight up from the start. If you’re looking at the next nine days, from Monday the 31st of August right through to Tuesday the 8th of September, you’re staring down the barrel of a big, messy, blown-out ocean. There’s plenty of swell in the water – we’re talking 10ft to 16ft range from the WSW, with a combined energy reading anywhere from 2216 to a massive 11424 – that’s seriously strong wave energy. But the problem is the wind. For day after day, it’s either onshore or cross-onshore, often howling at 18 to 25 mph. That’s a recipe for chopped-up, lumpy, poor surf, plain and simple. There’s a stretch there from Wednesday the 2nd to Saturday the 5th where the swell is still big, and the wind eases off a touch, but the waves are just too oversized for this spot. Karekare is an exposed beach setup, and with that much juice and onshore wind, it’s honestly looking more like a kite surfer’s playground than a paddle surfer’s.

We do finally get a glimmer of hope after that long, ugly stretch. The real standout comes in on Saturday the 12th of September. The morning shows a clear sky, a light 9 mph ENE breeze – that’s a clean cross-offshore wind – and a solid 8ft groundswell from the WSW, with a period of 16 seconds. That’s a very long period, which means proper energy and shape, but at a beach break like Karekare it can sometimes make the waves a bit too straight. Still, the combined energy is a strong 2828, and the surf report says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. The water temp is sitting around 57°, which is bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there. The afternoon keeps that clean feel with a light NE breeze. Crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out, but it won’t be a circus.

Sunday the 13th of September morning is also a ripper – light 6 mph offshore wind from the east, 8ft swell, good period, and clean conditions. That’s a solid backup option. After that, the swell starts to fade through Monday the 14th, with smaller 5ft to 5ft waves and lighter winds, still offering some fun, cleaner waves for the experienced crew.

So to wrap it up: the first week and a half is a write-off – big surf, bad wind, and not worth your time. The best of the whole forecast is undeniably the weekend of the 12th and 13th of September, with Saturday morning being the pick of the bunch for some clean, powerful, expert-only waves.

Rusty.

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