Tairua Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a pretty quiet stretch ahead for Tairua Bar, with only a couple of moments that might get the heart beating a little faster. The rest of the time, you’re looking at small, ordinary conditions or blown-out chaos.

The main action is going to be a short window on Saturday, 25 July. Saturday morning’s got a bit of life with a 6ft swell pushing in from the NNW at 8 seconds. Combined swell energy’s moderate at 735, and the wind’s blowing offshore out of the west at 19 mph. That’s a fresh offshore, so the waves should be clean enough to tempt you out, but the swell period’s short, so don’t expect perfection. The water temp’s sitting at 60°, pretty average for this time of year. It’s an advanced break, so if you’re a beginner, that 6ft might be a bit much. Saturday afternoon drops back to 4ft with a strong cross-offshore breeze, so the morning’s the pick of that day.

After that, the surf fades fast. Sunday the 26th through to Wednesday the 29th holds small 2ft to 2ft easterly swells, mostly clean but very ordinary. Periods stretch to 11-13 seconds, which is nice groundswell potential, but the size just isn’t there. Combined energy stays weak to low moderate (88 to 175). There are a couple of glassy sessions—Sunday morning and Tuesday afternoon, for instance—but it’s barely enough to get excited about. Thursday the 30th through to Saturday the 1st of August stays in that same 2ft range.

The standout session in those days is Saturday morning the 1st of August. Not a huge swell, 2ft from the east at 13 seconds, but it’s glassy—wind out of the south at just 3 mph. Combined energy bumps up to 254, which is the strongest we see in that small period. It’s not big, but if you’re patient and want a clean longboard session with no crowds and perfect conditions, that’s the call.

Then things get ugly. From Sunday the 2nd of August onward, the swell drops even further, then gets smashed by a big storm system. By the 5th of August, we’re looking at a 10ft easterly swell with a near gale cross-onshore wind—blown out and dangerous. Combined energy jumps to 1268 (strong), then 2534 on the 6th with 12ft—that’s very strong energy, but the wind’s howling. This is not a paddle-surfing situation. Tairua Bar is a beach/bar setup, and with those onshores, this is kite-surfing territory, not something for a standard surfer to be out in. The 6th and 7th stay messy with strong cross-onshore winds.

The period finally relaxes on the 8th of August with a small clean 1ft swell, but by then we’re at the tail end of the forecast.

Alright, so here’s the bottom line: if you’re keen, Saturday the 25th morning has the most size with offshore wind, and Saturday the 1st of August morning is your best bet for clean, glassy, small waves. Everything else is either flat, poor, or dangerous.

Rusty.

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