Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a drink, 'cause we're having a proper look at Onjuku for the next couple of weeks. I've gotta be straight with you: the start is a write-off. We've got a stretch of poor conditions from Saturday the 5th right through, and the real action doesn't even look like getting started until Monday the 14th. That's a solid week of flat or messy, wind-whipped nothing.

Let's break it down. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are just plain ugly – onshore winds, weak swell, rain, the works. The weekend is a right-off. Monday the 7th sees a big pulse of energy, but it's all onshore wind and stormy, with the combined energy hitting over 2000 (2054) on the Monday morning – that's strong to very strong energy but it's a mess. Not worth paddling out.

The wind keeps hammering us through the week. Tuesday the 8th has moderate swell around 7ft to 8ft from the SSE with a 10-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore and lumpy. That kind of size and messy wind is only for the die-hards, and even then, it's grim. Thursday the 10th finally sees the wind swing offshore, but the swell is short period (7 seconds) and the energy is only moderate (651). The waves will be weak and bumpy.

Now, we start to see a glimmer from Monday the 14th. The swell drops a bit to 5ft from the ESE, period bumps to 10 seconds, and the wind is cross-offshore. The conditions are described as marginal, but the energy is moderate (573). It's not a standout, but it's the first real chance to get wet without hating yourself. Tuesday the 15th morning actually shows "expect good surf conditions" – the wind is light cross-offshore from the ENE, swell is small at 2ft but with a very long period of 13 seconds from the East. That's proper groundswell energy (289). That's a good sign for the reefs and points, but beach breaks might find it a bit too straight. The water is 82°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year – not a huge deal, but nice.

The real standout in this whole forecast falls on Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of September. On Thursday the 17th morning, we get offshore winds from the North at 16 mph, a clean 3ft swell from the NE with a 7-second period, and "improved" conditions, with moderate but clean energy (294). It's not huge, but it's clean. Then Friday the 18th morning is similar – offshore winds from the NNE, 4ft swell from the East at 8 seconds, and it's a "good surf conditions" call with clean waves (223). The wind will be offshore both mornings, and that's gold for Onjuku. The swell is small, so it'll be a longboard or funboard wave, but it'll be glassy and fun. Crowds are listed as "sometimes" here, so you might find a few others out, but with the small size, it shouldn't be a zoo. The optimum direction for this spot is SSE, so the East/NE swells aren't perfect direction-wise, but the clean conditions make it worth the paddle.

To be honest, the second week is quiet. After Friday, we fade back into small, cross-onshore dribble from the 19th onward. The 17th and 18th mornings are your best bet, and even then, it's a small, clean window. If you've got a log and are happy to scratch for knee-to-waist high, you'll be stoked. Otherwise, this 16-day window is a patience test. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because a run like this usually has to break sometime.

Rusty.

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