Tairua Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’re looking at a pretty long stretch ahead, and to be honest, most of it is a write-off. The first week-plus is a real struggle. We’ve got a long dry spell before anything worth paddling out for shows up. It’s not until Monday the 10th of August that we even see a pulse of surfable energy, and even then, conditions are just “ordinary.”

From the very start, Friday the 7th through Sunday the 9th, it’s all tiny slop. We're looking at waves around 0.3ft to 1.0ft with very low energy (14 to 19 in the combined swell energy). Not worth getting the wetsuit wet for.

Monday the 10th finally brings a pulse. Tairua Bar sees some chest-high swell at 3ft to 4ft from the north, with a short, weak period of 8 seconds. The combined swell energy hits a moderate 149 to 145. But the wind is cross-off, which keeps it clean. Still, the report calls it “very ordinary conditions.” It’s surfable, but it’s not going to be a session you remember.

Then it drops off again. Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th are a mess of poor conditions, onshore and cross-onshore wind, with the swell bouncing from 3ft to 4ft. Wednesday afternoon does go glassy with a 4ft north-northeast swell, but the energy is still moderate (197) and the quality is just ordinary.

Thursday the 13th morning is glassy with a 3ft swell from the north-northeast, but it’s weak (73 combined energy). Still, if you’re desperate for a small clean wave, that’s your window.

Then comes Friday the 14th. The wind gets ugly with a risk of thunderstorms and a messy 6ft north-northeasterly swell in the morning. Not good. But the afternoon is the first real standout. We get a solid 8ft swell from the north-northeast, period bumping to 9 seconds, with cross-offshore winds. The combined energy climbs to a beefy 797. That’s moderate to strong energy. Now, 8ft is getting into expert territory, so this is for the experienced crew only. The wind is clean, so the bar should have some grunt.

Saturday the 15th of August follows up with another solid day. Morning sees a 5ft north-easterly swell with cross-off winds and very strong energy (674). The afternoon gets even better: 4ft from the east-northeast, but with true offshore wind from the west-northwest at 12 mph. That’s clean, groomed surf. The combined energy is still strong at 439. That’s the best wave quality of the whole run.

After that, it fades fast. Sunday the 16th drops back to 3ft, and by Monday the 17th we’re below 3ft again with weak energy. From Tuesday the 18th right through to the end of the outlook on Saturday the 22nd, it’s all tiny dribble, often less than 2ft with combined energy in the single or low double digits. Nothing to get excited about.

Best options: If you’re an expert, the late session on Friday the 14th of August is the biggest and most powerful of the window, with that 8ft NNE swell. For the better all-round conditions, Saturday the 15th of August afternoon is the standout: head-high plus, clean offshore wind (12 mph from the WNW), and strong energy. It’s the pick of the bunch for the crew looking for a proper session.

Tairua Bar is a beach/bar setup, so those longer period swells (like the 9 seconds we see here) can offer some decent shape, but it can also get a bit straight. With the offshore winds on Saturday, it should be rippable. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so expect company on the best days.

Water temp is sitting at 59°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Cheers, Rusty.

Read more