Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the coming weeks at our local spot.

Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. We’ve got some swell sloshing around early on, but it’s messy and the wind’s not doing us any favours, so we’re not getting the good stuff just yet.

Looking at the first real chance for a paddle, things start to show a bit of promise around the 14th of August. Friday morning at Pohoiki we’ve got a nice ESE swell pushing in at about 8ft. The direction is coming from the east, which is pretty much bang on the money for this reef. The wind is a cross-offshore breeze, which is a nice bonus – it’ll keep the surface clean. You’ll see the swell energy jump up (1544), so there’s some grunt behind it. This is a groundswell with an 11-second period, so you get proper shaped waves and a bit of breathing room between sets. The bigger sets will be in the expert-only zone, over the 8ft mark, but there’s plenty for a strong intermediate at this spot. Keep in mind, this place can get a few folks out there, but on a Friday with clean conditions, it might just be worth the crowd.

The afternoon of the 14th, that same swell bumps up to a solid 10ft, but the wind swings around, turning it lumpy. Not ideal.

Saturday the 15th is a write-off. The wind is onshore and we’re looking at a messy 13ft on Saturday morning. That’s not surfable here – the energy is huge (3626), but it’s just a washing machine.

It stays quiet for a long stretch after that. From the 16th of August right through to the 21st, the scores are all poor. There’s tiny waves, onshore winds, or just nothing doing. That’s a solid six-day gap without a decent wave.

We get a little flicker on the 22nd of August, a Saturday morning. A small east swell at 6ft and a 1 out of 10 rating. The wind is cross-onshore and it'll be a little choppy. It’s a marginal call, and if you're desperate for a small one, it's there, but it’s nothing to get excited about.

The next real standout, and this is a long-range whisper, comes on Wednesday, the 26th of August. Wait for it... a very long period south swell, 19 seconds! The swell is small, only 2ft, but when you see a period that long, the energy is dense. The combined energy is still good (518 for the morning, 490 for the arvo). This kind of long-period groundswell loves a reef like Pohoiki. It’ll wrap in and give some real, clean lines. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, so it’ll be clean but with a bit of texture. This is the one to have your eyes on for the future. It’s a long way out, so the confidence isn’t as high as a Friday forecast, but the ingredients are promising.

The last week shows a slow, steady pulse of east swell from the 27th of August, around 5ft to 7ft, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore, keeping it from being a classic.

So, to bottom line it: your best bet is the morning of Friday, the 14th of August, for that clean, punchy east swell. For something different and promising, keep tabs on that tiny but incredible 19-second south swell on the 26th of August.

Rusty.

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