Tainohama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you: the next week and a half at Tainohama is pretty flat. We’re talking tiny, weak little waves—most of it below 2ft. The combined energy is next to nothing, mostly double-digit numbers in the 50–170 range, so there’s barely enough grunt to push you. The first real chance of a surf is a ways off, so you’ve got a solid 8-day gap of nothing worth paddling out for.

Now, let’s talk about Tainohama. It’s a reef break, advanced only. The water temp anomaly is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

The early stuff from July 25th through to August 2nd is all small, 1.0ft to 2ft, with a long-period SE groundswell around 14-16 seconds, but it’s too weak to do much. On July 26th afternoon and July 27th afternoon you get glassy conditions, but the waves are still tiny. The wind is mostly light or slight, but when S breeze pushes in, the conditions turn poor. Not worth getting wet for.

Then on August 3rd Monday, we start seeing a pulse kick up. Monday morning brings 3ft from the ESE at 13 seconds with glassy conditions—that’s a clean start, and the combined energy jumps to 497 (moderate). It’s still small but it’s the first sign of life. That afternoon the swell builds to 4ft with a very long 17-second period, but the south wind onshore makes it messy.

Now here’s the standout. August 6th Thursday afternoon is the one to circle. The swell hits 16ft from the ESE at 17 seconds, with light cross-offshore NNE winds at 10 km/h keeping it clean. The combined energy is a massive 12,989—strong to very strong, this is serious groundswell. It’s only for expert surfers; 16ft is way too big for anyone else. The swell direction matches the optimum S direction reasonably well for this reef, and with that long period, it’ll hold shape nicely. Expect a raw, powerful session. Crowds are possible, so get out there.

Thursday morning August 6th is even bigger at 18ft with clean conditions but it’s pushing the limit of what’s rideable—rated as too big for the break.

After that, the swell drops fast. August 7th and 8th see 10ft down to 5ft, but the wind cranks up—moderate to fresh breezes—so it’s more of a survival session than a classic one. August 9th Sunday morning offers 5ft from the SSW with a gentle offshore N wind, clean enough for experienced surfers, but it’s not in the same league as that Thursday.

Bottom line: the first week is a write-off. Save your energy for August 6th afternoon. That’s the one.

Rusty.

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