Kugenuma Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for Kugenuma Rivermouth. I’ll be straight with you—it’s a lean start, but there’s a serious pulse building for the patient ones.

First up, the overall picture. The next week and a half is mostly small and ordinary. We’ve got a long gap of weak, knee-high slop and poor conditions from the 11th right through to the 18th. Don’t bother checking the cam till we hit Saturday the 19th of September. That’s when things get interesting for experienced surfers, with a solid increase in size and energy. The standout window is Sunday the 20th of September—the best of the whole outlook.

Thursday afternoon (10th September) is the only offering in the early days, and it’s nothing to write home about. You’ve got 2 ft of short-period south swell (8 seconds) with energy reading just 102. Water temp is 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Wind is NNE at 12 mph and offshore, so it’s clean, but it’s tiny. Only worth a paddle if you’re desperate.

From Friday the 11th through the following week, we’ve got a real dry spell. Multiple days of poor surf with heights dropping below 2 ft. Winds switch around, but the energy is weak—figures down in the teens and twenties. Not worth a second look.

Then the pulse arrives. Saturday the 19th of September morning: the swell jumps to 7 ft from the SSE with a long 16-second period. Energy rockets to 4012—that’s serious power. Winds are NNE at 19 mph and offshore, so the rivermouth should be clean. At 7 ft, this is already getting too big for beginners. By Saturday afternoon, it’s 8 ft, 15 seconds, energy of 2268—still solid, but hold on.

The standout is Sunday the 20th of September. The morning sees 8 ft from the south at 15 seconds, energy at 3260. That’s excellent surf for experienced surfers—clean offshore breeze from NNE at 12 mph. But by Sunday afternoon, it builds to a massive 12 ft south swell, 16-second period, and the energy reading is a beastly 7225. That is too big for this break. Only absolute experts should even think about it. The wind is light offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the size is intimidating.

Monday the 21st of September is still good for stronger surfers—6 ft from the SSE at 11 seconds, moderate energy (894), and clean offshore wind. Tuesday the 22nd drops back to 2 ft and that’s about it—the run fades again.

So to sum up: ignore everything until the weekend of the 19th. Saturday the 19th is good for experienced surfers. Sunday the 20th of September morning is the pick of the whole outlook for strong surfers who can handle a big, powerful groundswell. Sunday afternoon is just too big for Kugenuma. Monday the 21st is a solid follow-up. After that, it’s back to small stuff.

Keep your eyes on that SSE groundswell—it’ll be lining up clean with the offshore winds. Crowds are often an issue here, so expect company if you’re out on the standouts.

Rusty.

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