Makorori North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at Makorori North – a beach and reef setup that’s for the advanced crew only. This spot is fairly exposed to the open ocean, and it’s a consistent performer, which is always good news. The water’s sitting at 55°F, about 2°F cooler than average for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.

The first real action kicks off Wednesday morning (26 August). Waves are around 2ft from the south, with a long period of 18 seconds – proper groundswell with plenty of push. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the northwest, so it’ll be clean and lined up. Wave energy is moderate (417). It’s not huge, but the quality is there for a fun session.

Wednesday afternoon bumps up a touch to 3ft south swell, still clean with light cross-off breezes. The energy is still moderate (473). Good continuation of the morning.

Thursday morning (27 August) sees a jump to 4ft south swell, still with that long 18-second period. Wind is light and cross-shore, so there’ll be a few ripples but nothing nasty. The energy is ramping up into the moderate range (902). Conditions are a bit marginal due to tide, but it’s still worth a look.

Thursday afternoon gets bigger – 5ft south swell, period 17 seconds. The wind swings cross-onshore from the east-southeast at 9 mph, bringing in some chop. It’s pushing into the strong energy zone (1515). This one is more for the experienced – the size and chop will make it tricky.

Friday morning (28 August) drops back to 5ft south swell, with a shorter period of 13 seconds. The wind is cross-off from the north-northeast, keeping things clean. Moderate energy (714). Should be some decent runners.

Friday afternoon is a standout. Swell is 4ft from the south, wind goes offshore from the north-northwest at 9 mph, so that’s clean glassy faces. Energy is moderate (468), but the offshore wind makes all the difference. This is a solid window for the more advanced surfer.

Saturday morning (29 August) is similar – 3ft south swell, offshore wind from the north, clean conditions. Energy dropping into the weak end of moderate (268). Still a good option for a relaxed paddle.

Saturday afternoon stays around 3ft, with the wind offshore from the north-northwest and light. Energy is weak (255). The waves are there but the quality is a bit ordinary.

Sunday (30 August) fades to 2ft in the morning and 2ft in the afternoon, south swell, with light cross-off winds. Energy drops to 133 and then 92 – very weak. Surfable but nothing to write home about.

Then there’s a gap from Monday 31 August through to early September where conditions turn messy. Monday morning is a write-off – 8ft from the south-southwest with a cross-onshore wind from the southwest at 12 mph making it choppy. Poor surf. Monday afternoon looks huge – 10ft south swell with a long period of 14 seconds – but the wind is cross-off from the northeast, so it’s raw and big. The energy is very strong (2841). This is expert-only territory, and only if you’re comfortable with serious size.

Tuesday (1 September) holds at 10ft south swell, with cross-shore winds – not good for quality. The energy is very strong all day (3176 and 3371). Only for the hardcore.

Wednesday (2 September) is still big – 6ft to 7ft south swell – but the cross-off wind keeps it relatively clean. Energy is still strong (2236 and 1654). Still too big for most.

We get a return to better conditions on Friday afternoon (4 September) – 5ft south swell, period of 18 seconds, offshore wind from the northwest at 12 mph. Energy is strong (2044). This is the other real highlight of the window. Excellent surf for those who know what they’re doing.

Saturday morning (5 September) is still good – 4ft south swell, offshore wind, clean and fun. Energy moderate (689). A nice way to cap the run.

From Sunday (6 September) onward, the swell drops right off – 2ft and below, with strong winds and rain on Sunday morning. The energy falls into the weak range (122 down to 13 by Monday). Not worth the paddle. The run of decent surf dries up completely from 6 September through to the end of the forecast.

So, if you’re picking the best: Friday afternoon 28 August and Friday afternoon 4 September are your true standouts – clean offshore wind, decent south swell, and the reef will give you some proper lines. The rest is either too small, too big, or too messy.

Rusty.

Read more