Raglan-Manu Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Alright, let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks. The surf outlook for our region is a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a few windows where it’s going to be worth your while. We’ve got a lot of energy moving through, but the wind is going to be the main player in whether we get clean waves or a complete mess.

The first real chance to get wet is Thursday afternoon, August 27th. Manu Bay is looking at 5ft of WSW swell with a 13-second period. It’s a bit of a so-so call, but the light NW breeze should keep things rideable. The water temp is sitting around 57°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no worries there.

The next couple of days, Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, are pretty poor. The wind is cross-onshore and choppy on Friday, though there’s a chance of some clean conditions early Saturday morning with light ENE winds and a 4ft WSW swell. It’s small, but it could be fun on the inside.

Sunday the 30th is a write-off. The wind swings around to the southwest and brings in a fresh cross-shore breeze that’s going to chop everything up. The swell jumps to 8ft, but it’s a short-period 7-second windswell, so it’ll be lumpy and messy.

Now, the big one hits on Monday, August 31st. The swell jumps to a solid 13ft from the WSW, with a period of 11-14 seconds. The combined energy is strong. This is serious size. But the wind is fresh cross-shore from the WSW, which is going to make it a wild, lumpy mess. It’s not for the faint-hearted, and with that size, this is definitely expert-only territory. It’s big, but it’s ugly. The strong energy is there, but the conditions will be challenging.

Tuesday the 1st of September stays big and messy, with 12ft swells and more fresh cross-shore winds. It’s still pumping, but it’s not clean.

Things start to settle down a bit on Thursday, September 3rd, but the wind is still not ideal. It’s not until Friday morning, September 4th, that we get a real standout. The wind goes glassy, and the swell is a strong 8ft from the W with a very long 16-second period. This is going to be a proper groundswell, and Manu Bay is a point break that can handle this kind of energy really well. The long period means the waves will be well-shaped and powerful. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s going to be big and clean, but with that size and power, it’s still for experienced surfers.

The weekend after that, the 5th and 6th, settles down to a more manageable 6-7ft, but the wind is a bit cross-onshore again.

Then, another gem appears on Monday morning, September 7th. The wind is dead calm and glassy, with a clean 7ft WSW swell at a 15-second period. The combined energy is solid. This is another excellent window for the experienced crew. The conditions will be perfect, but the sets will be long and clean.

The following Tuesday, September 8th, things get big again with up to 15ft of WNW swell, but the onshore winds will make it a full-on battle. After that, the wind really gets stuck in from the west and southwest, with strong breezes and messy conditions, making the rest of the week on the poorer side until things maybe settle down again.

So, there you have it. Don’t fight the wind on the big days. Your two standout windows are the Friday morning of September 4th and the Monday morning of September 7th. Go get some.

Rusty.

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