Matakana Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a good look at what’s coming down the pipe for Matakana Island.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a flat spell to get through. For the first few days, from Wednesday the 5th right through to Saturday the 8th, it’s all tiny dribble – knee-high at best, if that. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board or having a cold one. It’s clean, glassy even on Saturday morning, but there’s just no push. The combined swell energy is down in the teens and twenties, so that’s a dead quiet ocean.

Things finally wake up on Sunday the 9th, but it’s a rough start. The morning brings a chunky 7ft north swell with a short, wind-affected period of 7 seconds, and a stiff NNW crosswind chopping it up. That combined energy jumps hard, so there’s power, but it’s messy – better for the kite crew than paddle surfing. The afternoon is the real story, though. The wind swings offshore from the WNW, the swell pushes to 7ft from the NNW, period bumps to 8 seconds, and the energy rockets up. That’s a proper pulse of moderate-to-strong energy. The caveat is that kind of size is expert territory, and the short period means it’ll be a bit dumpy on the bank. Still, a clean, offshore, punchy 7ft wave is a standout if you’ve got the nerve for it.

Monday the 10th drops back to a much more manageable 4ft to 4ft from the north, period still short at 8 seconds. The wind stays clean and cross-offshore from the west. Energy drops. It’s surfable and clean, but very ordinary. Not a standout, just a solid grovel.

Tuesday the 11th is a write-off – onshore winds and rain. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th offer clean, glassy mornings with waist-high waves and light winds, but it’s nothing to write home about. Energy is low. Good for a longboard if you’re desperate.

Now, the real highlight of the whole run lands on Friday the 14th. The morning session delivers a clean, 7ft north swell, 8-second period, with a light offshore breeze from the SW. The combined energy is strong. That’s another solid, punchy, clean wave that will have the banks working. The afternoon gets a little cross-onshore, so the morning is the call. That Friday morning is the absolute pick of the 16 days for anyone who can handle a solid 6ft+ wave.

From Saturday the 15th onward, it fades fast. Saturday and Sunday the 16th see the swell drop to 3ft and then 1ft. The following week is essentially flat, with tiny, weak swells. A few days of clean conditions, but no power.

So, to sum it up: you sit through a dead flat first four days, get two solid expert-level pulses on Sunday the 9th afternoon and Friday the 14th morning, with a couple of clean but average days in between. The Friday morning is the true standout – 7ft, clean, offshore. Don’t miss it.

Rusty.

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