Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good hard look at what's coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks. We've got a bit of a slow start, some dodgy wind in the middle, but a proper wall of water is lining up for the brave souls out there.

Right now, we're in a flat spell. The water at Onjuku is sitting at a balmy 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, a nice little bonus. But the waves? Barely a ripple. We're looking at a frustratingly long stretch from Wednesday the 26th of August right through to about Saturday the 30th where there's just nothing doing. It's small, it's weak, with combined energy readings scraping the bottom of the barrel (346 on Wednesday morning), and the wind is mostly cross or onshore, making everything a choppy mess. It's a write-off for a paddle.

Finally, on Sunday the 30th, things get a little more interesting. We see a glimmer of hope with some clean conditions in the morning as a light N offshore blows. The swell is a timid 2 ft from the East, with a period of just 11 seconds, but the energy is low (98). It's surfable but ordinary. This sticks around through Monday the 31st as the swell nudges up to 2 ft from the NE with a shorter 7-second period. The wind stays offshore and light, but it's just not got any grunt. The energy is still weak (104). You could get wet, but don't expect much.

Then things get weird. On Tuesday the 1st of September, a new S swell starts to show up. By the afternoon, we get a massive jump in energy to 643 from a 3 ft S swell with a very long 16-second period. That's proper groundswell energy, but the wind is a cross-onshore from the SSE, making it choppy. That long period at a beach break like Onjuku can make waves close out and be hard to read. Wednesday the 2nd gets bigger, with 6 ft on offer in the morning and the energy climbing over 1000 (1029) – which is moderate to strong – but it's a direct onshore S wind at 9 mph. The afternoon is even worse with onshore wind and 7 ft swell. This whole window is a write-off for quality surf; it's big, messy, and onshore. Honestly, with that much wind and swell, the setup on Wednesday looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The real story, and the standout of the entire outlook, is the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September. On Saturday the 6th, we get a proper monster. The combined energy rockets to 3895 on the morning – that's strong to very strong energy. We're looking at a solid 12 ft swell from the SSE with a 12-second period. The wind is a cross-shore from the ESE at 16 mph, which will create some texture but be rideable. However, be warned: at 12 ft, this is strictly for experts only. This is a big, powerful, dangerous wave. It is predicted to be too big for this break, so only the most experienced crew should even look at it. The crowd profile is listed as "sometimes" busy, so expect some local chargers out. The swell drops a touch to 10 ft in the afternoon, but the energy is still massive at 2793.

Sunday the 7th is still pumping, but the wind swings directly onshore from the S, which will ruin any quality. The swell is 8 to 8 ft with energy still over 2000, but with onshore wind and rain showers, it's going to be a washing machine. Don't bother. The following week trails off, with smaller, onshore windswell for Tuesday and Wednesday, and then it's back to flat, weak dribble.

So, to keep it simple: the absolute best on offer, and it's a proper call, is the morning of Saturday the 6th of September. Get on it if you have the skills and the guts. For everyone else, the little clean window on Sunday the 30th of August is your best bet for a gentle paddle.

Rusty.

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