Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Lookin’ at the next couple weeks for Pohoiki, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s a rough patch. Most of this forecast is a write-off for paddle surfing. The wind is blowing from the wrong quarters, making a mess of things. There’s no real standout session to get excited about, but let’s break it down day by day.

We start off on Monday, August 24th, with some swell on the way—6ft of easterly swell, but it’s only got 8 seconds of period behind it, so it's a bit weak and wonky. Wind is howling cross-onshore at 12 mph from the east, right smack into the swell direction, so it’s choppy as hell. The combined energy is moderate at 523, but the water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year (82°), so you’ll be comfortable if you’re just floating.

Tuesday, August 25th, drops to 5ft from the east again, still cross-onshore and messy. The wind picks up to 16 mph. Nothing worth paddling for.

Wednesday, August 26th, we see a complete shift—swell from the south at a tiny 2ft, but with a *very long* 18-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s so small it’s barely there. Energy is moderate (451). Still cross-shore winds making it lumpy.

Thursday, August 27th, south swell sticks around, up to 4ft in the morning with that long 16-second period, but again, cross-onshore wind and a score of zero. The afternoon cleans up a little but still marginal.

Friday, August 28th, and Saturday, August 29th—more of the same. Swell under 3ft, short period, cross-shore junk. Don’t bother.

Sunday, August 30th, the wind finally drops to a gentle 9 mph, but the swell is only 2ft from the south with 12 seconds. Still cross-shore. Combined energy is weak at 287. It’s the best-looking window in the whole run, but let’s be real—it’s still poor.

Monday, August 31st, we get a bump to 5ft from the east-northeast in the morning, period 9 seconds. It’s marginal at best. Then by afternoon it’s 5ft from the north-northeast, but wind is 16 mph and cross-shore, so it’s a wash.

Tuesday, September 1st: a big spike—8ft from the east-northeast in the morning, combined energy of 1388 (strong wave energy). But the wind is cross-onshore at 16 mph, making it a messy, choppy beast. That’s expert-level size (over 8ft is expert, this is close), and with the wind on it, even they’ll have a rough time. The afternoon drops to 3ft from the south with a long 18-second period, but again, cross-shore.

Wednesday, September 2nd: 7ft from the east, 8-second period, wind at 19 mph from the north-northeast. This is a fresh breeze making a lumpy cross-chop. Combined energy is strong at 1145, but it’s not surfable. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The rest of the run into early September gets gnarly with storms and gales. By Friday, September 4th, wind hits 40 mph from the southeast—that’s gale force, onshore, and 5ft of swell. Stay home.

There’s two weeks of this, with no day offering a clean, rideable wave. The one tiny glimmer is Sunday, August 30th, when the wind drops, but it’s still not good. If you’re desperate, that’s your best bet, but keep your expectations low.

I’m not saying it’s over forever—forecasts change—but for the next 16 days, you’d be better off tuning the TV to the swell charts.

Rusty.

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