Tairua Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – the surf at Tairua Bar over the next 16 days is more of a whisper than a roar. The first couple of days have tiny, messy waves, and after that the ocean just shuts down. If you’re into kiting, the wind might get you out, but for a paddle surfer, this is a tough stretch.

The only real chance to wet your board comes on Monday, September 7th, in the morning. Tairua Bar is seeing a 6 ft swell from the north, with a short period of 7 seconds and combined wave energy at (278) – that’s moderate but weak and lumpy. The wind is cross-off from the NNW at 19 mph, so it’s not glassy. The water temp is 59°, right about average for this time of year. That afternoon drops to 5 ft, still cross-off, and not good. Tuesday the 8th is smaller – 3 ft in the morning, then 2 ft – with an 8-second period, ordinary conditions, and combined energy falling to (148) then (73). The swell direction is north, but Tairua Bar works best on NE, so it’s off-angle. That 6 ft on Monday is too big for beginners, but the poor quality means it’s not appealing for anyone.

From Wednesday the 9th, the swell collapses. Heights hover between 0.7 ft and 1 ft for days, with periods climbing to 14-15 seconds – but that’s a long-period ghost swell with no power. Combined energy barely hits (70) on Thursday morning. The wind does go offshore on Thursday morning (WNW 10 mph) and again on Sunday the 13th (WSW 19 mph), but with only 1.0 ft to 1 ft on offer, it’s tiny. Long period on a beach/bar setup like Tairua Bar tends to make waves break too straight, but at these sizes it’s irrelevant.

Then the real flat spell hits. From Wednesday the 9th all the way to Wednesday the 16th, the surf is basically non-existent – heights never above 1 ft, combined energy under 100. There’s a tiny blip on Thursday the 17th morning with 3 ft from the north, 8-second period, and combined energy of (113) – still weak – but the WSW wind is 19 mph, creating fresh offshore but ugly conditions. The record calls it “poor surf conditions,” so don’t bother.

If I had to pick a standout – and it’s a sad pick – it’s that Monday morning on September 7th, with the biggest swell of 6 ft. It’s the only pulse with any size, but the short period and cross-off wind ruin it. Tairua Bar is fairly consistent in breaking, but “fairly consistent” just means it doesn’t go flat forever – this stretch is a long, quiet gap.

Starting with that tiny, poor-quality blip, then over a week of nothing, this is the kind of blank run that’s more normal for the area when everything is out of sync. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because they can change, but right now the ocean is taking a long nap.

Rusty

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