Puaena Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at Puaena Point are a real mixed bag, but mostly a slow, quiet stretch. We’ve got a tiny window of workable surf right at the start, then it’s a long, flat spell before a little pulse of energy shows up again late in the run.

The first few days, starting Tuesday 14 July, offer our best chance. Tuesday morning sees a small, clean 2ft W swell, with a long 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell, but it’s weak, with combined energy at 269 (moderate). The wind is a cross-offshore breeze at 12 mph, which keeps the surface clean, but the water temp is a balmy 79° – bang on average for this time of year. The swell is tiny, and the forecast actually says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so it’s really only for the patient beginner on a log. Tuesday afternoon bumps up to 2ft, with energy climbing to 371 (moderate), but still just a small, clean wave.

Wednesday 15 July is the pick of the first week. Morning sees 3ft of W swell, 15-second period, with light 6 mph cross-offshore wind. The energy is moderate at 359, and the conditions are clean. Same story Wednesday afternoon – 3ft, 15 seconds, light wind, clean. This is the best we’ve got: a tiny, clean groundswell for a longboard or a foil. Puaena Point is a beginner reef break, but it’s inconsistent, so don’t expect a wave every set. Crowds can be often here, so expect company.

Thursday 16 July holds similar size – 2ft, 14-second period, clean in the morning – but the energy drops to 257 (moderate). By Thursday afternoon, the wind picks up to 12 mph, and the forecast turns marginal again.

Then from Friday 17 July right through to Tuesday 28 July, we hit a massive dry spell. The swell direction shifts to NE, period drops to 7-8 seconds (short-period, weak windswell), and the combined energy plummets – mostly under 100 (weak), with just a few days barely cracking 100. The wave comments are all “poor surf conditions” or “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” The wind is cross-offshore, but it’s useless when there’s no real swell. There’s a 10-day gap here with nothing worth paddling out for.

Finally, on Tuesday 28 July, we get a tiny pulse of NNE swell around 3ft, 8-second period, energy at 123 (moderate). The wind is light at 9 mph, cross-offshore, and the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s not a standout, but it’s the only thing later in the window. Wednesday 29 July fades back to 3ft, weak energy (66), and the same poor conditions.

So, here’s the call: Wednesday 15 July is your best bet for a clean, if tiny, wave. The first week has a brief, small window of clean groundswell. After that, you’re looking at a long, flat stretch until the very end of the month, when a small, ordinary NE windswell might just give you a few closeouts. Not much to write home about. Keep an eye on the charts – it tends not to stay this flat for long.

Rusty.

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