Raglan-Manu Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and we've got a solid run of surf on the way over the next couple of weeks. The standout window is this Saturday morning, August 1st, with some serious grunt on offer. Let's break it down.

First up, Thursday the 30th of July isn't an all-day affair, but the morning session at Manu Bay is worth getting out of bed for. There's a clean 5ft swell from the WSW with a long 14-second period, and the wind is a light north-easterly cross-off, keeping things tidy. The combined swell energy is sitting at a solid 792, so there's plenty of push. The water temp is 57°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year. It's a good one for the advanced crew, but don't expect to have it to yourself – this spot can get busy.

Friday the 31st looks messy, with rain showers and onshore winds from the west. The swell bumps up to 7ft in the morning, but the period drops to 10 seconds and the cross-on wind will chop it up. The afternoon gets even lumpier with 8ft and a fresh 30 km/h wind. I'd give it a miss.

Now, here's the real deal. Saturday morning, August 1st, is the best of the run. We're looking at a glassy, clean 12ft swell from the WSW with a very long 14-second period. The combined swell energy is massive at 4495 – this is proper groundswell. This is one for experienced surfers only; it'll be too big for most. That long period means the wave shape should be excellent, but at a point break like Manu Bay, it'll handle it beautifully. The wind is dead calm, glassy conditions. This is the one to circle.

Saturday afternoon drops back to a still solid 10ft, with clean conditions and a cross-off wind. Still excellent, just not as good as the morning glass-off.

Sunday the 2nd is a nice drop-off day. The swell settles to a clean 5ft in the morning with glassy conditions and a sweet 11-second period. It's a good, fun-sized morning for a hangover cure. The afternoon stays clean with a 4ft swell.

Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th get a bit average. The swell is small and the wind goes cross-shore, making for a lumpy, choppy mess that's only marginal at best.

Wednesday the 5th looks like another good one. A clean 5ft swell in the morning from the WSW with a 14-second period and a light cross-off breeze. Fine conditions for a mid-week paddle.

Thursday the 6th is a mixed bag. The morning is too small at 2ft, but the afternoon brings a jump in size to 8ft from the WNW, with a short, choppy 9-second period. Expect very good surf conditions despite the period, but the energy is up there at 1083.

Friday the 7th through to the 9th is a messy run of swell with light rain and moderate winds. The swell fluctuates but the quality is poor for the most part, apart from a small but clean 2ft swell on the Sunday afternoon that has a long 15-second period.

The second week, from the 10th of August onwards, is a quieter picture. Expect smaller swells in the 2ft to 4ft range, mostly clean but lacking the punch. The best run is from Tuesday the 11th to Wednesday the 12th, with clean conditions and long period swells in the 15-20 second range. The swell is small (2ft to 3ft), but those long lines of clean swell will be fun for a log or a longboard. The Thursday and Friday the 14th are a write-off with strong fresh winds and lumpy cross-shore chop.

The big highlight is absolutely Saturday morning, August 1st. Get on it.

Rusty

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