Ohara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what's coming up at Ohara.

First off, the good news is that there's a little bit of surf on the horizon eventually, but we've got a long, quiet slog to get through first. The early part of the window is a bit of a write-off, so don't bother checking the cams for a while. The first real window of opportunity for a proper surf isn't until the end of the first week, but more on that later.

Let's start with what's on offer now. The outlook from Thursday the 13th through to the middle of the next week is pretty average. The wind is the main problem, mostly cross or cross-onshore, which means lumpy, choppy conditions. The swell is there, hanging around 4 to 6 feet from the east, with moderate energy, but it's just not clean. There's a slight improvement on Tuesday afternoon the 18th when the wind swings to a light cross-offshore, making things clean, but the swell drops to 4 feet, so it's not exactly a standout. That's the best of the early period, but it's still a bit of a second-tier option.

The real standout, the one that's got me a little excited, is further out. Look at Tuesday the 25th of August. We've got a big, solid pulse of swell coming in from the SSE, with a very long period of 17 seconds. That's a proper groundswell, and the energy is massive. The wind is a light cross-offshore, meaning the surface will be clean. However, there's a big caveat here. The swell is predicted to be 11 feet, and at Ohara, that's too big for this break. It's going to be a heavy, powerful, and potentially dangerous wave. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, you'll want to be very careful. The long period will also mean long waits between sets, but the energy in the water will be something else. For the next few days after that, the swell drops back to a more manageable 4 to 6 feet, with clean conditions returning on the 27th and 28th, but it's a step down in quality.

Overall, the water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing to write home about. The first week is a grind, but that pulse on the 25th is a real promise if you're experienced enough to handle it. Keep an eye on the long-range charts, because that one could be a special session, but it's a long way out.

Rusty.

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