Makorori Centre Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The next 16 days are a real mixed bag. We’re starting with a couple of days of powerful, but messy, swell that’s just not going to be any fun. Then there’s a real window of opportunity around the 21st and 22nd with some clean, long-period groundswell. After that, it’s a long, slow fade into small stuff and poor conditions.

The only name on the map here is Makorori Centre (Gisborne), a beach and reef setup that’s exposed to the SSE. The water temperature is sitting at 56°, which is about 1° cooler than normal, so pretty average for this time of year.

Right now, Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are a write-off. We’ve got a solid 10ft to 12ft swell from the SSE and S, but the wind is howling out of the SW and S at 22 to 28 mph, creating a horrendous cross-shore chop. The wave energy is extreme (1400-5000+), but it’s just a washing machine out there. Not worth a look.

Thursday the 20th is still a bit of a mess. The swell drops to 6ft – 6ft from the S, period drops to 8 seconds, but it’s still cross-shore with a moderate breeze. The wave energy is still moderate (977-1191), but it’s marginal and lumpy. A pass.

The standout window is Friday morning, the 21st of August. This is the one to circle. The swell drops to a clean 3ft from the SSE, but the period jumps to 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The kicker is a light offshore breeze from the NW at 6 mph. The wave energy is moderate (660), and it’s going to be clean. With that long period, it’ll be lining up at the reef, so expect some nice, walled-up waves. This is the best session on offer.

Saturday the 22nd will still be worth a paddle. Swell is smaller, 2ft – 3ft from the SSE, with a period of 11-12 seconds. The wind is offshore from the NW and WNW at 12 mph, so it’ll be clean. Wave energy is low (140-202), so it’s a fun, small-wave board kind of day. Crowds are *sometimes* here, so you might have some company.

From Sunday the 23rd onwards, the surf gets very small. The swell drops under 2ft, and while the wind is often offshore or glassy, the wave energy is low to very low. There are a few moments on Monday the 24th morning (2ft, 9s) and Tuesday the 25th morning (2ft, 16s) with clean conditions, but the size is tiny. The 25th afternoon gets glassy with a 2ft, 15s SSE swell, but it’s just ordinary.

The rest of the week into the end of August and start of September is a lull. We’re looking at a long gap of small, weak, or windy conditions. There’s a slight puff of energy on the 2nd of September with a 4ft SSE swell and 8-second period, but the wind is from the S at 12 mph, making it cross-on and choppy. Not great.

So, to sum it up: don’t get wet until Friday morning the 21st. That’s the day. The morning of the 22nd is a decent backup. After that, it’s a long wait for anything worthwhile.

Stay stoked,
Rusty.

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