Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a mixed bag coming up at Onjuku. The first week is a bit of a tease, with a few clean windows but nothing that’ll get your heart racing until Monday the 24th rolls around. After that, it’s mostly messy onshore slop until a serious pulse of energy shows up in the second week.

The standout session is Monday morning, August 24. Onjuku wakes up to a glassy, 3 ft south-southeast swell with a very long 18-second period – that’s proper groundswell, packing plenty of punch. The combined swell energy is a strong 1035, so there’s real drive behind it. With the wind dead calm and glassy, this is going to be clean as a whistle. The water is sitting at 81°, which is about average for the time of year. This one’s for experienced surfers though – that long period will unload fast and steep over the sand, and the tide might make things a bit shunt-y. Plus, crowds are possible here, so get out early.

If you’re looking further ahead, Thursday morning, September 3, has a massive 10 ft east swell with a 13-second period. The combined energy is a huge 3371 – that’s serious grunt. Offshore winds from the north-northeast at 19 mph will keep it clean, but 10 ft is big, expert-only territory. The period is more moderate, so it won’t be as lully as the 24th, but it’s still a heavy beast. This one is promising but less certain with it being so far out.

The stretch after Monday the 24th gets ugly. Tuesday through Thursday that week are all cross-onshore winds and choppy, poor surf. The swell hangs around 4 ft to 6 ft, but the wind just ruins it. Then from the 28th onward, we get a few small cleanish days with 2 ft east swell and light offshore or cross-off breezes. These are surfable but ordinary – think longboard or small-wave fun over the weekend.

From Monday, August 31, through the start of September, the wind shifts cross and cross-onshore again, but the swell picks up. The real turn happens on September 3 with that big east swell, then it backs off to 5–6 ft on the 4th, still clean with the north-easterly cross-off breeze. The energy drops to moderate (860-782), so not as punchy but still a decent paddle.

After that, the first week of September settles into smaller cleaner days – 3 ft to 4 ft from the south and south-southeast, with north-easterly cross-off winds keeping things tidy. Consistency is fair, but nothing’s going to blow you away. If you’re a beginner, stick to the smaller days under 5 ft – the 2 ft days on the 28th and 29th are your window. For the big stuff on the 24th and September 3, leave it to the crew who know what they’re doing.

In short: Monday August 24 is your goldilocks window – glassy, solid groundswell, and clean. September 3 is the heavy-hitter for experts, but it’s a long way off and could change. The rest is picking clean windows in a mostly average run.

Rusty.

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