Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break down what’s happening at Pohoiki.

The next couple of weeks have some swell, but the conditions are going to mess with you for most of it. There’s one clear window mid-week that looks like a proper session.

We kick off on Saturday the 25th, but it’s a washout. You’ve got 7ft of short-period, lumpy swell from the ENE with a 15 mph crosswind. It’s a mess. The water’s at 80°, about normal for the time of year.

Sunday the 26th is a tease. The swell drops to about 4ft to 4ft, but the period stretches out to a very long 15 seconds. That’s groundswell energy (889 combined energy), which works great on Pohoiki’s reef. But the wind is still cross, so it’s chopped up. Marginal at best.

Now for the good stuff. Monday the 27th, the wind goes cross-offshore from the north. Clean conditions. Swell builds to 6ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon, with a solid 13-second period. Wave energy jumps to 1769 – getting powerful. This is the start of the real window.

Tuesday the 28th is the one to circle. You’re looking at 10ft to 12ft of swell from the ENE to NE, with a 13-second period and clean, cross-offshore winds. Wave energy is massive at 3342. That’s expert-level power only. If you’re a charger, be on it. Crowds are possible, so get out there early.

From Wednesday the 29th onward, it falls apart. The wind goes onshore or cross-onshore, the period drops to 8 seconds or less, and the quality is gone. This poor-to-marginal run stretches all the way to the 9th of August. The swell sticks around at 3ft to 6ft at times, but the onshore wind makes it choppy and ugly. Not worth the paddle.

Bottom line: your one clean, powerful window is Monday the 27th through Tuesday the 28th. Tuesday is the big one for experienced surfers. The rest of the 16 days is mostly a long stretch of poor conditions.

Rusty.

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