Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, looking at the whole sixteen-day window for Pohoiki, it’s a tough stretch. There are no standout days where everything lines up perfectly. The first few days are pretty much a write-off.

The earliest we see anything worth paddling out for is Thursday the 4th, and even then, it’s only just on the edge of being okay. That morning, the swell is around 7 ft from the east, with a solid 14-second period – that's real groundswell energy, and the combined energy score is strong at 2063. The wind is cross-onshore though, so it’ll be a bit lumpy. The afternoon gets a little better with lighter cross-shore wind, and the swell drops slightly to 6 ft from the east-northeast at 13 seconds. That afternoon has the best chance for a few clean-ish ones.

Saturday the 5th also has similar conditions: 8 ft swell from the east-northeast with that long 14-second period again, and the energy is very strong (2066). The wind stays cross-shore. It’s not clean, but there will be some push. This is likely the most size you’ll see, and at over 7 ft, it’s getting up there and is better suited to experienced folks.

The water temp is sitting at 81°F, which is just about normal for this time of year – nothing to write home about.

Honestly, the best call in this stretch is the afternoon of September 4th (Thursday) and then maybe the morning of September 7th (Sunday) where the wind drops to a light breeze and the swell holds at 8 ft with a 12-second period. On the 7th, the energy is still strong (1489) and the lighter wind makes for better conditions, but the swell is still a bit big for beginners at that height.

After the 7th, it drops off again. The swell gets smaller and the wind is often on it, making the closeouts more likely. There’s a gap from the 8th through to the 10th that’s mostly poor, with small, weak energy. The last real chance of anything is the morning of September 10th, where a 7 ft swell from the east shows up, but the wind is cross-shore and it’s only a marginal call.

So, for the best of a bad bunch, I’d aim for Thursday afternoon, September 4th, or Sunday morning, September 7th. It’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest and most consistent we get. After that, it’s a long wait with nothing worth reporting until the very end of the window.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

Read more