Kugenuma Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and settle in, because the next couple of weeks at Kugenuma Rivermouth are a proper mixed bag. It’s a river mouth setup, so it's exposed to the south, and we’re starting with a pretty flat, frustrating run. Don’t even bother paddling out from now until the end of next week – it’s all ankle-snappers and blown-out dribble. The water’s sitting at 81°, which is about normal for this time of year.

There’s a solid gap of around six or seven days where there’s honestly nothing worth getting wet for. Monday the 17th through to Monday the 24th, it's all poor surf conditions. We’re looking at tiny swell under 1 ft, short periods, and wind that’s mostly onshore or cross. The combined energy is pathetic, barely cracking 100. Keep the board in the car.

Things start to look interesting on Tuesday the 25th of August. Early morning, the wind goes completely glassy, which is rare and a dead-set treat. The swell picks up to 2 ft from the SE with a juicy 13-second period. The combined energy jumps to 230, and the conditions are clean. It’s not huge, but it’ll be lined up and fun on the river mouth banks.

But the real standout – and trust me on this one – is Wednesday the 26th of August in the morning. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSE, with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy is a beefy 1688, so there’s proper power behind it. Wind is a light easterly, which is cross-offshore, making for clean, hollow waves. This is pure groundswell, so the river mouth will be handling it way better than a beach break – more organised walls and longer rides. It’s a bit much for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is the session to circle.

Thursday the 27th sees even more size, with 7 ft to 8 ft from the SSE, still with that 16-second period. The wind goes offshore (NNE to NE), keeping it clean, but we’re getting into expert territory now – the combined energy is over 2400. It’s going to be powerful and take some positioning.

We lose it again for a bit at the end of August with heavy rain and howling onshore winds (a severe gale on the 29th), but the run-out of the forecast shows another chance. Tuesday the 1st of September morning looks real nice: 3 ft of clean SE swell with a 15-second period, light offshore wind, and a combined energy of 583. That’s a glassy, long-period day perfect for the river mouth.

Stay patient, score those standout windows, and don’t bother with the rest.

Rusty.

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