Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

First off, things are looking pretty grim around Onjuku for the next week or so. We’ve got a big storm blowing through Wednesday the 9th with strong, messy cross-onshore winds and a choppy 8 ft swell from the south – that’s a write-off. Thursday the 10th cleans up a bit with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops to 5 ft from the northeast and the period is a short, weak 7 seconds, so it’s flat and uninspiring.

Friday the 11th is the first real flicker of hope. We get a moderate offshore wind from the NNE, which is a major positive for clean conditions. The morning swell is a small 4 ft from the ENE, but it’s clean. The afternoon drops right off to 2 ft, but here’s the kicker – that little wave has a very long 14-second period, meaning it’s a groundswell with serious energy for its size. The combined energy is weak (279), but a long-period groundswell like that will wrap into the beach break offering some oddly shaped, fun little lines if you’re on a log. The wind stays offshore, so it’ll be glassy.

Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are marginal. Clean conditions with cross-offshore winds, but the swell is tiny (2 ft to 3 ft) and the period drops back to 9-13 seconds. The energy is very low (185-240). It’s surfable on a longboard, but you’ll be scratching for anything with shape.

Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th see a bit more size (3 ft to 4 ft), but the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, and the period drops to 8-9 seconds, making it choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out.

The real standout, and the one you’ve been waiting for, is way out there on Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th of September. This is a long-range call, so it’s promising but not locked in yet. The wind is forecast to be a clean cross-offshore from the NE, and the swell really cranks up. On Wednesday the 23rd, we’re looking at a 7 ft to 8 ft S swell with a very long 16-17 second period. The combined energy jumps to a massive 2417-3294, which is strong wave energy. This is a proper groundswell. On Thursday the 24th, it gets even bigger – 10 ft from the south with a 17-second period and energy at 5947. That’s a very strong pulse. Because it’s a long-period groundswell, it will be powerful and clean, but a 10 ft wave at a beach break like Onjuku is only for experienced surfers. It might be too straight for the average punter, but the offshore wind will keep it looking good. This is the best on offer in the entire 16-day window.

For the rest of the second week, from the 18th to the 22nd, it’s mostly small (2 ft to 5 ft) and clean or cross-offshore, but the swell periods are short (5-11 seconds) and the energy is low (130-426). The 19th and 20th have 5 ft to 5 ft NE swell, but it’s still just a weak, short-period windswell. Nothing to get excited about.

Overall, the next week is a write-off, but the 23rd and 24th look like a serious, powerful groundswell event. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Read more