Makorori North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a bit of a slow start before things get interesting.

Right now, the first few days are pretty average. Thursday morning has a tiny 2ft south swell with a 13-second period, which is a nice long-period groundswell, but it’s barely breaking. The water is sitting at 57°F, which is about 1°F cooler than normal for this time of year – nothing to write home about, just a bit on the chilly side. That first session is clean with a light offshore from the NNW, but the swell is so weak the combined energy is only 143. It’s a paddle-around session, not a wave-catching one.

Friday and Saturday stay small, with mixed-up winds and only small bumpy waves. Saturday morning sees a 3ft east swell picking up a bit, but the wind is cross-off and the combined energy jumps to 275, which is moderate. Still, the conditions are only marginal, so it’s not worth getting excited about.

Now, Sunday morning the 26th of July is where things get real. An 8ft SSW swell rolls in with a 9-second period, but the wind is cross-shore and the combined energy is a massive 1927. That’s strong wave energy. The problem is the wind stays messy and the afternoon gets hammered by a fresh cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. By Monday, the swell is still pumping at 7ft, but again, the wind is cross-shore or cross-on, so the quality is poor. This is a session for experienced surfers only – 7ft to 8ft is big enough to push into expert territory, especially with the chop.

The standout window opens up on Wednesday the 29th of July. We’ve got a solid 6ft east-southeast groundswell, with a 13-second period, and the wind swings to a light northwesterly cross-off in the morning. The combined energy is 1146 and the conditions are forecast to be very good. This is the best session on offer for the near term. The swell direction is from the ESE, which matches the optimum for Makorori North perfectly. It’s a consistent-break, and with crowds being “sometimes,” you might have a few others out, but it shouldn’t be too bad. This is the one to target.

Thursday the 30th keeps it going with another 6ft southeast groundswell, 13-second period, and light cross-off winds. Energy is 1003. Very good conditions again. By Friday the 31st, the swell drops to 3ft, but the wind goes glassy in the afternoon, and the combined energy is 340. That’s a clean, fun little session for the longboard or a fish.

After that, the first week of August looks like a write-off. The 1st of August has small, onshore junk. Then Sunday the 2nd of August, a massive 15ft south swell hits, but the wind is cross-on and the combined energy is 4979. That’s way too big for this spot – expert-only, and even then, the wind will make it dangerous and messy. The rest of the week is a mix of huge swell and strong cross-onshore winds, with poor conditions. The 307th of August keeps a 10ft+ swell going, but the wind is just too strong. It’s more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle session.

In summary, the first real standout is Wednesday the 29th of July, with Thursday the 30th a close second. The second week has a big, wild swell but no clean windows. Get in the water mid-week.

Rusty.

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