Ohara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s some decent energy coming, but we’ve got to sit through a lot of average to poor conditions to get to the good stuff. The beginning of the period is pretty quiet, and the standout window is a few days away, but when it fires, it’ll be worth the wait.

We start off with Ohara. Wednesday 26th August morning is actually pretty clean, with a light breeze and a small 3 ft SSE swell, period around 10 seconds. The energy is weak, just 284 (combined energy), but it’s surfable. The water temp is about average for the time of year. The afternoon though, the wind picks up to 19 mph and it gets messy, so get on it early.

Thursday 27th and Friday 28th are mostly poor. Onshore winds and rain or storms make it a write-off. There’s a brief window Friday afternoon with a 3 ft SSW swell, but that’s short period stuff at 8 seconds, so it’s weak and won’t hold much shape. Not worth getting excited about.

The weekend and into Monday are small and weak. The swell drops to 2 ft, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, leaving the surf choppy or just flat. The combined energy drops to around 93 to 144, which is barely a ripple. Sunday morning is glassy, but the waves are tiny.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. From Tuesday 1st September, we see a new S swell building. The wind is still a bit messy, with cross-onshore and cross conditions, and the swell is 3 ft to 4 ft, period 12 seconds. The energy jumps to 396-436, which is moderate. Conditions are marginal though.

The real standout is Wednesday 2nd September. The wind swings offshore from the S, blowing at 16 to 19 mph, and it’s clean. The swell picks up to 5 ft in the morning, then 6 ft in the afternoon, with a period of 13 seconds. The combined energy hits 978 in the morning and a solid 1206 in the afternoon. That’s strong wave energy. The swell direction is S, which is bang on the optimum for Ohara, and it’s a groundswell. This is the best session on offer. For a strong intermediate, this is clean, powerful, and well-shaped. The offshore wind is a huge plus. It’s a bit big for beginners, but for the experienced crew, this is the one.

Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th keep the S swell running, with 5 ft to 4 ft waves, still with offshore or cross-offshore winds. The energy is strong (701 down to 427). Good surf continues, but it’s not quite as punchy as Wednesday.

Then we hit a lull again. Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th see the wind switching back onshore, and the swell drops to 3 ft or less. Poor again.

Monday 7th brings a new SSE swell, building to 5 ft with a period of 11 seconds. The wind is cross-offshore, and the energy is 591. Surfable, but nothing special.

The big warning comes on Monday afternoon and into Tuesday 8th September. The swell absolutely detonates, jumping to 10 ft then 13 ft and 15 ft, with periods of 12-14 seconds and combined energy of 2971, 4536, and 5031. That’s a massive amount of energy. The wind is cross-offshore and cross, but the swell is just too big for Ohara. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. It’s more of a spectacle than a session.

After that, Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th see the swell dropping back, but the wind is onshore and choppy, so it’s back to poor conditions.

So to sum it up: the clear standout is Wednesday 2nd September, with solid S swell, strong energy, and clean offshore wind. Friday 4th afternoon is also a good one. The rest of the period is either small or blown out, with a couple of days of dangerous, oversized swell to avoid.

Rusty.

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