Tairua Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next week or so is gonna be a tough slog for any proper waves around here. There’s some action way out at the end of the window, but we’ve got a long dry spell to get through first.

For the next several days, starting from Sunday the 16th, it’s pretty grim. The swell is tiny and weak, with combined energy under 200, and the wind is mostly cross or onshore, chopping things up. Monday the 17th sees a spike in energy (517), but it’s a messy 6ft cross-shore wind swell from the ESE – poor conditions for a paddle. That pattern of small, weak, or wind-affected surf hangs around all the way through to the end of the week and into the weekend. There’s a glassy morning on Friday the 21st, but the swell is barely a ripple at 1ft, so not worth getting wet for. It’s a solid, quiet stretch with nothing to recommend.

Now, the real interest pops up the following week. Monday the 24th of August sees a pulse of 6ft swell from the north, but the morning is trashed by strong NNW winds at 25 mph. The afternoon, however, looks much better – clean conditions with a light offshore from the WSW and 5ft of north swell. Combined energy is moderate at 300. This is a standout moment for Tairua Bar. It’s an advanced break, so this is for the experienced crew. It gets better: Tuesday the 25th morning is the best on offer. Clean conditions, light offshore WNW wind, and a solid 6ft NNE swell with energy at 386. That’s the pick of the whole forecast – a proper clean session with some punch. The wind is offshore, the swell is solid but not out of control, and it’s an advanced wave, so expect some power. Crowds are possible here sometimes.

Later in the week, Thursday the 27th brings another pulse – 6ft ESE swell with energy up at 566 – and a fresh offshore wind from the WSW in the afternoon. That’s a big, powerful swell (over 5ft, heading towards 8ft), so this one is for experts only. The period is 9 seconds, so it’s a bit wind-affected, but with clean offshore conditions, it could offer some heavy, hollow waves for those who know what they’re doing.

After that, the swell drops right back down, and we’re into small, clean but weak surf for the end of the month. Saturday the 29th has some tiny 3-3ft E swell with offshore winds – surfable but very ordinary. The window finishes with a bit of onshore wind and bumpy conditions on Sunday the 30th.

So to wrap it up: forget the next week, it’s dead. The real window is Monday afternoon the 24th through Tuesday morning the 25th, with a secondary expert session on Thursday afternoon the 27th. The water temperature is around 59°F, which is pretty normal for the time of year here – nothing unusual.

Rusty.

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