Raglan-Manu Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's coming our way for Raglan's Manu Bay over the next couple of weeks. It’s a mixed bag, with some absolute beauty days on the horizon, but we’ve got to wade through a bit of ordinary stuff first.

We’re kicking off Friday with small, clean conditions. The swell is a tiny 1ft to 1ft from the WSW, a very long period groundswell of 13 to 16 seconds. The water temp is 59°, pretty much spot on for this time of year. The wave energy is weak (91-92), so it's not going to get your heart racing, but with glassy afternoon conditions, it’s a good excuse to get wet on a longboard.

Saturday gets a bit grim. The wind picks up from the NNE and swings cross-shore, making a mess of things. The swell bumps up to 3ft, with moderate energy (207), but the conditions are poor. Not one for the quiver.

Sunday morning sees the swell jump to 6ft from the WNW with a short period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 873, but a cross-onshore wind blows it out. It’s marginal at best, and this is a beach-and-reef setup, so those bumpy conditions make it look more interesting for the kite surfers than the paddle crew. Afternoon doesn’t improve with heavy onshore winds.

Monday is a write-off. Heavy rain and howling NW winds up to 22 mph batter the coast. The swell is a messy 8ft from the W with very strong energy (2293-3566). Just stay home and watch the cams.

Now, here’s where it gets juicy. Tuesday the 7th of July is our first standout. Early morning you’ve got a big 10ft WSW groundswell (period 16 seconds) with a very strong energy reading of 3924, and the wind is a clean cross-off from the east. This is big and powerful – that’s heavy water only for experienced surfers. But the real gold is Tuesday afternoon. The swell drops to a still solid 8ft from the WSW, and the combined energy is a very strong 2511, but it’s clean as a whistle with glassy offshore winds. That’s an excellent window for the pros.

The next big standout is Friday the 10th of July. This one feels like a special session. Morning brings a clean 6ft WSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period and solid energy (1687). The wind is a light cross-off. Then Friday afternoon goes glassy with a 5ft, 17-second swell and a combined energy of 1398. This is a longer-period groundswell, which will wrap beautifully into the point. The crowd might be present, but with this quality and near-perfect wind, it’s a no-brainer for anyone who can handle the lineup.

The following week (from the 13th) settles down. We’ve got a run of smaller, cleaner days. Monday the 13th morning is a nice 4ft from the WSW with a clean cross-off, and then Saturday the 18th finishes the outlook with a smaller 4ft swell from the NW with a short period. It’s fun, small-wave surfing, but nothing that’s going to blow your socks off compared to the earlier gems. There’s a rough patch of poor wind and onshore slop from the 15th to the 16th, so don’t plan anything for those days.

Keep your eyes locked on the Tuesday afternoon (7th July) session and that magical Friday (10th July). Those are the absolute standouts. The rest is a waiting game for the next pulse.

Rusty.

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