Ohara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Ohara over the next 16 days is a real mixed bag, with a whole lot of "wait for it" and not much that's easy to recommend.

The first week is a write-off for any decent surf. We start with nothing on Thursday, 30th July – just ankle-biters at 2ft from the S with a weak 7-second period, and messy conditions. The combined energy is a paltry 77, so there's no power in the water. It stays poor through Friday, Saturday, and into Sunday morning. There's a glimmer of hope on Sunday afternoon, 2nd August, when a 4ft SE swell shows up with a long 16-second period (groundswell) and the wind goes cross-offshore. The combined energy jumps to 913 (moderate), and the wave comment says "expect very good surf conditions" – that's your best early bet, but it's still a single session.

Watch out for the early part of the following week. 3rd and 4th of August see a massive pulse of swell, starting at 8ft and climbing to a monstrous 13ft, but the wind is a stiff cross-onshore. The combined energy skyrockets into the thousands (3,544 to 9,439), but the conditions are described as "poor." It's just too big and too choppy for a pleasurable paddle. Then on 5th and 6th August, the swell stays huge at 13ft to 15ft from the SSE (16-second period), with combined energy over 10,000. The wind is cross-shore or cross-off, but the notes say it's "too big for this break." Only absolute experts with big-wave gear should even consider it, and honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The real standout, if you can wait, is Wednesday, 12th August. The morning session at Ohara is a dream: a moderate 5ft E swell (12-second period, 805 combined energy), and the wind goes completely glassy – dead calm, zero wind. That's a rare and special thing. The afternoon is also clean with a light cross-off breeze. That's the one to circle on the calendar. A close second for the cleanest conditions is Friday afternoon, 7th August, with a 8ft S swell (14-second period, 2725 combined energy) and clean cross-off winds. The notes say "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers" – and rightfully so, as 8ft is a solid size for the skilled crowd.

The final week from 8th August onward is mostly blown out by strong NE winds (19-22 mph) or suffers from poor conditions. The glassy morning on the 12th is the only real bright spot. The rest is a waiting game.

That's the long and short of it. The glassy morning on the 12th is your best shot. Everything else is either flat, blown out, or too big to handle.

Rusty.

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