Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, let’s have a look at what’s coming for Onjuku. The next 16 days are a real mixed bag, with a lot of messy, wind-affected days to sit through before a solid run of cleaner, more powerful swell arrives deep in the second week. The water’s sitting at about 82.2°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so you can leave the thick rubber at home.

The opening days are a write-off. Wednesday the 9th serves up an ugly 8.2ft south swell, but it’s blowing 25 mph from the southwest, cross-onshore, with a risk of thunderstorms. The water’s all stirred up and the combined energy is a moderate 963. It’s a mess. Thursday the 10th drops to 5.2ft from the northeast with a cleaner cross-off wind, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s weak and won’t hold shape well. The combined energy is still moderate at 452. Nothing to get excited about.

Friday the 11th is the first real glimmer. A 1.6ft east swell rolls in with a very long 14-second period, and the wind goes offshore from the north-northeast at 12 mph. The morning is surfable but ordinary, with a combined energy of 186; the afternoon cleans up nicely, scoring some decent conditions. The energy climbs to 272. It’s small, but the offshore wind will make it glassy and clean. This is a long-period groundswell, so it might wrap a bit better than the beach breaks, but it’s tiny.

The weekend into early next week is a bit of a flat spell. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th hang around 2.0ft with a 13-14 second period, but the wind is cross-off, keeping it clean. The energy stays in the 270-300 range, low to moderate. The outlook is marginal, with some questionable tides. Monday the 14th through Wednesday the 16th sees a small bump in swell to 3.9-4.3ft, but the wind swings onshore from the south or southwest, making it choppy and poor. The energy gets up to the 400s, but it’s not worth paddling out for.

Thursday the 17th is a write-off until the afternoon when the wind goes fresh offshore from the north-northeast at 19 mph. The swell is 4.6ft but with a terrible 6-second period, so it’s a bumpy, windswell mess. The energy is a moderate 256.

Now, here’s the standout. The real action starts on Friday the 18th. The morning brings a 4.9ft swell from the east-northeast with a 7-second period, but the wind is a solid offshore from the north-northeast at 16 mph. The combined energy is a strong 519. The afternoon is even more interesting: a 2.0ft swell from the south-southeast with a very long 17-second period, and the energy rockets to 652. The wind stays offshore. This is a clean, powerful groundswell, and the conditions are very good. It’s not huge, but it’s quality.

Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th are the real gems. The swell builds to 3.9-4.6ft from the south-southeast on Saturday, with a 16-second period, and the energy is huge at 2262. The wind is a clean cross-off. Sunday the 20th is the pick of the bunch: a 6.6ft south swell with a 15-second period, the wind goes gentle offshore from the north-northeast in the afternoon, and the energy is still massive at 1862. The conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. The combined energy is very strong (over 2000), and the long period means it’ll be a proper groundswell with good shape, but it’s best suited to the points or reefs, not the beach breaks. The swell is over 5ft, so it’s pushing into intermediate territory, and the 6.6ft sets are for the experienced crew.

Monday the 21st keeps the swell going at 6.9-7.2ft from the south with a 16-second period, the energy is a massive 2572. The morning has a near-glass-off, with the wind at just 3 mph and cross-off, making for excellent surf. The afternoon gets a bit more wind, but it’s still clean. This is a big, powerful swell.

After that, it all falls apart. Tuesday the 22nd through the end of the outlook sees the wind swing onshore from the southeast and south, bringing cross-on conditions and choppy, lumpy surf. The swell drops to 4.9-7.5ft, but the wind is 16-28 mph, ruining it. The energy is still moderate to strong, but the quality is gone. The final day, Thursday the 24th, has a 6.9ft swell but it’s cross-onshore and messy.

So, the best bet is Sunday the 20th, with that 6.6ft south groundswell and gentle offshore wind. The water’s warm, the energy is huge, and the conditions are clean. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The second-best is the Saturday the 19th, with the slightly smaller but

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