Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let me give it to you straight for Pohoiki.

Look, I've been staring at the charts for the next 16 days and to be honest, it's a tough stretch. The whole period is basically a write-off for decent surf. We're looking at a solid run of "poor surf conditions" from the get-go, right through to the end of the forecast window on September 23rd. That's over two weeks with nothing worth paddling out for.

The issue is a persistent onshore to cross-shore wind. The swell is there, building up to some decent size, but it's always accompanied by a chop or lumpy conditions that just ruin any chance of a clean face. The swell direction is mostly from the east, which isn't ideal for this break, and the period is short, so the waves lack any real punch or shape.

For the first week, through to the 15th of September, we're looking at ankle to waist-high slop, with wind either from the south or northeast. There's a bit of a bump in energy mid-week, but it's accompanied by rain and that messy cross-chop.

The middle of the second week, around the 17th of September, we see the biggest swell of the period, with waves hitting 8 ft. But the wind cranks up to 30 km/h from the northeast, making it a fresh, lumpy, cross-onshore mess. The combined swell energy hits 936 (moderate wave energy), but it's completely unsurfable. That kind of size with that wind is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

Later on, the 22nd and 23rd of September show a similar story: building swell up to 6 ft, but the wind and rain just won't let up. The quality is never there.

Bottom line: there is nothing to recommend. Not a single standout session. The water temp is a warm 81°, which is about average for this time of year, but that's the only positive thing I can say. It's a grim outlook, so save your energy and wait for a better window.

The finder had no recommendations, which matches what I'm seeing. Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade.

Rusty.

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