Tairua Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the Tairua Bar stretch over the next couple of weeks.

First up, it’s a quiet start. The swell is tiny and the energy is weak, so we’re looking at a few days of flatness. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, nothing wild there.

Thursday the 27th is a write-off – just a tiny 0.3ft NE windswell with a short 10-second period. The combined energy is a measly 8, and the wind is either glassy in the morning or cross-on in the afternoon. It’s just poor surf conditions all day.

Friday the 28th sees a little bump, but still nothing to get excited about. A 2ft N swell with a 4-second period – that’s super short, crumbly, and weak. The energy is only 24. The morning is clean with a cross-off wind, but the afternoon turns cross-shore and choppy. Still “poor surf conditions.”

Saturday the 29th brings a bit more size, but the quality is shot. A 4ft N swell in the morning, period still short at 6 seconds, energy 96 – but it’s cross-on with rain, so it’s choppy and messy. By the afternoon, it jumps to 7ft N swell, with a 7-second period, and the energy spikes to 733. That’s a lot of power, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore, making it lumpy and cross-chop. That’s expert territory at that size, but the conditions are poor. Honestly, with that strong cross-shore wind and the size, it might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Sunday the 30th is where things start to look interesting. The morning brings a 4ft NNE swell, 8-second period, energy 174, and the wind is a clean cross-off from the WSW. Conditions are clean. The afternoon is even better: a 4ft NE swell, 8-second period, energy 145, and the wind turns offshore from the W – that’s clean, moderate offshore and glassy. This is the standout of the whole forecast. The swell direction is right on the optimum NE, and the clean offshore wind will make for some tidy, peelable waves. It’s a beach/bar setup, so expect some shifting banks, but the consistency is fairly consistent. Crowds are possible now and then. This is the best on offer.

Monday the 31st is a letdown after Sunday. The swell drops to 2ft NE, 9-second period, energy 75. The morning is clean but small, and only the afternoon gets a “surfable” nod with a 1 out of 10 score. The wind is offshore from the WSW, so it’s clean, but there’s just not enough swell to get excited.

From Tuesday the 1st of September through to the end of the forecast, it’s a long, drawn-out run of tiny surf. The swell stays between 0.7ft and 2ft, with periods of 10 seconds or less, and energy rarely cracking 40. The wind is often offshore or cross-off, so it’s clean, but the waves are just too small for anything worthwhile. The combined energy is weak (mostly two-digit numbers). It’s a solid gap of poor surf from the 1st right through to the 11th of September.

The 11th of September shows a slight flicker: 2ft NE swell, 9-second period, energy 47, with a glassy offshore wind in the morning. But it’s still tiny.

So, the one true highlight is Sunday the 30th of August. Get on it if you can. The rest of the window is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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