Raglan-Manu Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up for Raglan-Manu Bay over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the first few days are a bit of a write-off. Friday afternoon and all of Saturday are a mess – strong winds, lumpy, and crossed-up conditions. The swell is there, especially Saturday afternoon with a 16 ft W swell, but the wind is howling near gale, so don’t even bother. That’s all for the bin.

The first real standout comes Sunday morning, 26 July. The wind swings offshore from the SE at just 10 km/h, and the swell drops to a solid 10 ft from the W with a 15-second period – that’s proper groundswell. The water temp is about 58°, which is bang on average for this time of year. The combined energy is very strong, and the conditions are clean. For advanced surfers, this is easily the best of the first week. Just be aware, with that size it’s expert territory, and the long period means it’ll be lining up beautifully on a point break like Manu Bay. Crowds are possible, but it’s the best on offer.

Sunday afternoon and Monday morning still hold good energy, but the wind shifts cross-shore, and the quality drops a notch. Still surfable, but not the standout.

The next big highlight falls on Tuesday morning, 4 August. The swell is 6 ft from the WSW, period at 17 seconds – very long period groundswell. Winds are light and cross-offshore from the ESE at 10 km/h, keeping it clean. Combined energy is strong. This is excellent for experienced surfers, and with that long period, Manu Bay will handle it perfectly. This is another session to circle on the calendar.

After that, the surf slowly winds down. The first week of August sees cleaner conditions but smaller waves. Wednesday morning 5 August has a 5 ft WSW swell with light offshore winds from the ESE – decent for a relaxed session. Thursday 6 August is glassy in the afternoon with a 3 ft swell, but it’s small.

There’s a bit of a gap in quality from Friday 7 August onwards, with waves dropping to 2-2 ft and very ordinary conditions. The period stretches out to 19-20 seconds, but there’s just not enough energy left. It’s not worth paddling out for.

Overall, the real standout windows are Sunday morning 26 July and Tuesday morning 4 August. Get in the water then. The rest is either blown out, or too small.

Rusty.

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