Tairua Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty ordinary for Tairua Bar. We’ve got a long wait for anything decent, so don’t bother paddling out this week. The first week is a write-off.

We start off Saturday, August 1st with nothing doing – tiny scraps of 2ft E swell at 13 seconds, but a cross-shore wind and ‘poor surf conditions’ make it a total no-go. The water’s sitting at 59°F, which is bang on average for this time of year.

Sunday, August 2nd offers a brief moment of something surfable – 2ft from the ESE, but with a period of just 5 seconds, that’s pure windswell and not worth getting excited about. A couple of clean windows appear here and there, like Monday, August 3rd morning with light offshore winds, but there’s only 0.7ft on offer. That’s just ankle-snappers.

In fact, from Saturday, August 1st right through to Friday, August 7th, there’s only one session (Sunday morning) that’s even classed as surfable, and it’s still rubbish. We’re looking at a solid six-day gap with absolutely no recommendations. It’s a grim start.

Then things finally start to look up. Saturday, August 8th is the standout window. Early morning, we’ve got a 6ft swell from the north with a period of 8 seconds – moderate wave energy here, coming in at 443 – and glassy conditions. That’s clean, it’s got some push, and it’s the best we’ve seen in weeks. It’s definitely too big for beginners, but for the experienced crew, that’s the one to be on. The afternoon pushes up to 7ft with energy jumping to 1192, but a light cross-onshore breeze will mess with the face a bit.

After that little burst, it all turns to custard again. Sunday, August 9th through to Wednesday, August 13th see strong onshore winds from the east and some heavy rain. Swell sticks around 4-4ft from the SE, but the period drops to 6 seconds and the wind is hammering it onshore – ‘poor surf conditions’ is the polite way of putting it. With the beach/bar setup here, it’d be more fun on a kite than a paddle board.

From the 12th onward through to the end of the outlook on Sunday, August 16th, we’re back to tiny, messy windswell in the 1-3ft range. Some afternoons are clean, but there’s just no power to work with. A few of those sessions show moderate wave energy up around 199-345, but with a fresh cross-onshore wind, it’s all lumpy and uninviting.

So, the bottom line: if you’re looking for a paddle, circle Saturday, August 8th – early morning, Tairua Bar, glassy, 6ft north swell. That’s your one shot. The rest is a blank run, and for this area that’s not unusual – forecasts can change, but right now, there’s not much to get stoked about.

Rusty.

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