Tainohama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next week or so at Tainohama is a bit of a grind. The first solid surfable day actually kicks off on Wednesday morning, 12 August, after a flat start to the week. The swell is tiny – only 2ft from the SSW with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is weak (196). But the wind is glassy, dead calm, so the surface will be clean as a whistle. This is a reef break, advanced only, and it’s not giving much push, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, it’s a session. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild.

Friday morning, 14 August, is a write-off – onshore wind and weak swell. Same story rolls through the weekend. Saturday morning, 15 August, has another glassy window with the same tiny 2ft SSW swell and 160 energy – surfable but very ordinary.

Then we hit a bit of a dead zone. From Sunday 16 August right through to Thursday 20 August, it’s all poor surf conditions with onshore or cross-onshore wind and small, gutless waves. A few mornings have glassy conditions but the swell is just too small to get excited about.

The first real standout pops up on Friday morning, 21 August. The swell kicks up to 4ft from the S with a 9-second period, and the combined energy hits moderate (270). The wind is glassy – dead calm. That’s clean, proper surfable waves. The best of the whole forecast. Friday afternoon holds similar with 4ft and glassy conditions (247 energy). This is the pick of the bunch.

Saturday morning, 22 August, is still glassy but the swell drops back to 3ft, so it’s a step down.

Now, look ahead to Tuesday 25 August. The morning shows a 4ft SE swell with a long 13-second period – that’s groundswell, and the combined energy spikes to 693 (strong). But it’s onshore wind, so the quality is questionable. The afternoon jumps to 8ft from the SE with a 14-second period and a massive 1990 energy – that’s very strong, but again, onshore wind and poor conditions. Too big for beginners, and the long period means it’ll be best on the reef, but the wind is blowing it out.

The real dark horse is Wednesday morning, 26 August. We get 4ft from the ESE with an 11-second period, solid energy (473), and glassy wind. That’s a quality morning session, almost a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.

Overall, the best day is Friday 21 August – glassy, 4ft S swell, clean. If you’re lucky, Wednesday 26 August could be a bonus. The rest is pretty flat or blown out. Crowds at Tainohama are sometimes an issue, so get in early on the good days.

Rusty.

Read more