Ohara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Second Text (Imperial)

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for our little corner of the world. It’s gonna be a bit of a slow burner this time, but there are a couple of windows where it’ll be worth paddling out.

Right now there’s not a lot to write home about, but it changes later this week. The first solid bit of action hits on Tuesday afternoon, September 8th at Ohara. We’re looking at a 5ft south swell coming in with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 499 – nothing massive, but enough to get a few runners. The wind is a light offshore from the SSW at 13 mph, so conditions should be clean. The water is sitting at 82°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. This is the standout for the early part of the outlook – a rare, inconsistent spot that’s actually going to offer some tidy waves.

After that, things go a bit pear-shaped. Wednesday morning, September 9th, the wind jumps up to a strong 25 mph breeze, making a mess of a bigger 8ft south swell. That’s expert territory, but the wind is awful, so I’d give it a miss. The rest of that week and the weekend are pretty much a write-off with onshore winds and small, choppy surf.

We then hit a proper lull from Friday, September 11th through to Sunday, September 13th. The swell drops right off to 2ft to 2ft, and wind directions are all over the shop. Not worth getting wet.

Things start looking up again come Monday morning, September 14th. We get a new 4ft swell from the SE, with a period of 9 seconds and a light offshore breeze from the south. Conditions clean up nicely, with moderate wave energy of 303. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, and that counts for a lot.

The best run of surf in the whole outlook kicks off on Tuesday, September 15th. Ohara is looking prime. The swell is a consistent 4ft to 4ft from the SE, and the wind goes dead calm – absolutely glassy. For a spot like Ohara that doesn’t break often, this is a magic window. The water will be clean, the sets will have some push thanks to the 9-second period, and with the offshore wind, it’ll be silky smooth. This is your real standout. If you can only paddle out once, make it Tuesday September 15th. It stays clean through Wednesday and Thursday mornings with lighter winds and some glassy conditions. The wave energy stays moderate – in the 200s and 300s – so it’s manageable. The best sessions are Tuesday morning (glassy, 4ft, 378 energy) and Thursday afternoon (glassy with a 3ft SSE swell, 268 energy).

Beyond that, the outlook gets a bit messy again. Around Sunday, September 20th and into the following week, we see some bigger, lumpier swell pushing 5ft to 6ft, but with strong onshore cross-winds. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup. However, there’s a promising sign for Tuesday, September 22nd with a glassy 5ft NE swell – keep an eye on that one, as it could clean up and offer another good day.

So, the long and short of it is: there’s a decent gap in the surf, followed by a clean, fun run from September 14th through the 17th. Highlight is absolutely the glassy conditions on September 15th. After that, it’s a bit hit and miss, but potential again around the 22nd.

Stay stoked,
Rusty.

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