Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you – looking at this whole sixteen-day window for the Pohoiki area, the surf on offer is a real mixed bag, and honestly, there’s a lot of mediocre to poor conditions to wade through before we get to anything that gets the heart pumping. For the first week or so, the trade winds are mostly up and from an onshore or cross-onshore angle, messing up what would otherwise be some fun-sized swell. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so at least you don’t need a thick suit.

We kick off Tuesday the 15th with a tiny 3 ft swell from the ENE, but with a cross-shore wind and a period of just 7 seconds, it’s weak and choppy – combined energy is a low 243. That’s a skip. Wednesday the 16th morning looks a touch better with a 3 ft easterly swell, period jumping to 10 seconds, and a clean cross-offshore breeze from the north (N 25 km/h). It’s still marginal, but that’s the closest to a surfable window in the early days. The afternoon gets windier and raw.

From Thursday the 17th right through to Monday the 21st, we’ve got a run of poor to marginal conditions. The swell builds from 6 ft up to 8 ft, with combined energy from 481 up to a whopping 1495, so there’s plenty of water moving. Problem is, the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore most of the time, and there’s risk of thunderstorms on a few days. This is a reef break, and while the swell direction is east-northeast, it’s not the optimum east that Pohoiki really wants, and the period drops back to 8 to 9 seconds – not the long lines this spot craves. This stretch is not worth paddling out for a decent one.

Now, here’s where we get one true standout. Tuesday morning the 22nd of September is your best bet in this whole forecast. We’ve got a solid 10 ft swell from the east with a period of 9 seconds and combined energy screaming at 3143 – that’s serious wave energy. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the north at 20 km/h, which on a reef like Pohoiki will give you some of the cleanest, most powerful lines of the period. But listen – 10 ft is well over 8 ft, so this is strictly for experienced surfers. That east direction is right on the money for the optimum, and it will wrap in nicely. The afternoon sees the wind shift to a gentle cross-onshore and the energy drops, so get it in the morning. This spot can get crowds sometimes, but on a Tuesday morning with that size, it might thin out a bit.

After that standout, things get messy again. Wednesday the 23rd still has size (8 ft to 10 ft) but the wind comes from the south-southeast, which is a direct onshore for Pohoiki – that’s a messy, blown-out situation. The rest of the week into the end of the month is a mix of moderate east swells (4 ft to 7 ft) with persistent cross-onshore or onshore trades, and combined energy drops back into the 400s and 500s. The period stays short, mostly 7 to 8 seconds, with a couple of long-period southern pulses showing up on the 27th (14 seconds) and 29th (13 seconds), but they’re tiny (2 ft to 3 ft) and coming from the south-southeast – not the direction this break needs to work properly. Those long-period swells are better for points and reefs, but without size and clean wind, they’re a tease.

Overall, if you’re keen, pencil in Tuesday morning the 22nd for Pohoiki. That’s the one window where everything almost lines up. The rest of the run is a long, frustrating wait for a wave that doesn’t get ruined by the trade winds. A blank run like this is more normal for the area when the trades are locked in, but forecasts can change.

Rusty.

Read more