Port Waikato-Sunset beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the surf for Port Waikato-Sunset Beach. We’ve got a wild sixteen-day window ahead, but honestly, it’s a story of either waiting for a window or being absolutely smashed by the ocean. The water’s sitting at 58°, which is about 0.5° warmer than usual for this time of year, so pretty average.

We kick things off on Tuesday the 8th with a solid 6 ft swell from the WSW, period 13 seconds, but it’s a cross-shore wind and the energy is sitting at 1402. It’s a pretty marginal call, with a slight cross-chop on the surface. Wednesday the 9th morning cleans up nicely with a light ENE breeze, 6 mph, making it a cross-offshore wind, and the swell drops to 4 ft from the WSW, period 12 seconds. The wave energy is 542, which is moderate, and the conditions are clean. That Wednesday morning is the one and only standout for the first week – it’s a small, clean window, and the break is a fairly consistent, exposed beach setup. It’s a good one for intermediates, but don’t expect a crowd-free zone as it can get busy sometimes.

From Wednesday afternoon and all through Thursday and Friday the 11th, the wind starts to turn onshore or messy, and the swell builds. The energy levels climb into the thousands, then on Friday the 11th morning we see a massive 13 ft swell from the SW with a very long period of 19 seconds and a combined energy of 17389. That’s strong to very strong energy, but the report says it’s too big for this break. That’s expert-only territory, and with a long-period groundswell, it’ll be breaking straight and ugly on a beach break. The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but it’s a beast. The same goes for Friday afternoon and Saturday the 12th – massive 13 ft to 16 ft swells, but with strong cross-shore winds and energy readings over 5000. It’s just too much for a paddle.

Sunday the 13th through to the end of the first week and into the second week is a write-off. The swell stays huge, between 8 ft and 15 ft, but the wind is constantly onshore, cross-onshore, or just plain howling. The energy is always in the thousands, making it a mess. For most of the second week, the wind is strong, with gusts up to 31 mph, and the conditions are described as poor or blown out. It’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session if you ask me.

There is a bit of a glimmer on the 22nd and 23rd of September, which is a Tuesday and Wednesday in the second week. Tuesday morning the 22nd sees a 10 ft SW swell, period 16 seconds, with a cross-shore wind of 16 mph, and energy at 4651. It’s still too big for the break, but the wind is favourable. Then Wednesday morning the 23rd has a 12 ft SW swell, period 17 seconds, with a light SSW breeze at 6 mph, making it a cross-shore wind. The energy is 6011. Again, it’s too big, but it’s the cleanest of the big stuff. For a true standout, nothing beats that Wednesday morning the 9th – it’s the only window where the size is manageable and the wind is sweet. Beyond that, it’s a long wait for something that’s still too big for comfort.

Rusty, signing off.

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