Tairua Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a pretty quiet start for Tairua Beach, but there’s a serious pulse building way out in the forecast that could make the second week worth waiting for.

The first week is mostly small and uninspiring. Tuesday morning, July 28th, gives us a clean 0.5ft easterly groundswell with a 13-second period – that’s a long-period swell, meaning nice shaped waves but long waits between sets. The combined energy is weak at 92, and the water sits at 59°, which is bang on average for this time of year. Wind is light offshore from the SSW, so the surf is glassy clean, but it’s just too small to get excited about. That afternoon, the wind swings cross-shore and the surf drops to 0.7ft; it’s a write-off.

Wednesday morning, July 29th, sees a bump to 0.8ft from the ESE, with a clean cross-off breeze and combined energy climbing to 233 (moderate). Still not a standout, but it’s surfable. By Wednesday afternoon, the wind goes glassy, but the swell is back down to 0.7ft – it’s a pretty session if you’ve got a longboard, but nothing to write home about.

Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st bring a sniff of something bigger. Friday morning shows 1ft from the north, but with a short, wind-swell period of 7 seconds and combined energy of 299 (moderate). The wind is cross-off from the WNW, so it’ll be clean, but that short period means the waves will be crumbly and weak. This is more of a kitesurfing setup than a proper paddle surf session. The swell hits 1ft in the afternoon with energy up to 391, but again, it’s short-period wind swell.

Saturday August 1st drops back to 0.9ft, and from Sunday the 2nd through Wednesday the 5th, it’s mostly tiny – 0.2ft to 0.7ft – with weak energy and poor quality. There’s a long gap of several days here with no real recommendations.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. On Tuesday August 11th, the swell jumps to 2ft from the NNE with a moderate 11-second period and combined energy of 656 (strong). But the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the ESE, making it lumpy and messy. That’s a frustrating one.

The standout window is Wednesday August 12th. This is the real deal. The morning brings a solid 3ft NE swell with a 13-second period – that’s a groundswell with serious energy. Combined energy is a massive 2207 (very strong). The wind is cross-off from the south, so it’s clean. This is expert-level territory – over 3ft is only for the experienced crew. The afternoon gets even better: still 3ft from the ENE, but the wind drops to a glassy 5 km/h from the SSE. Combined energy is 2049, and the conditions are rated excellent for experienced surfers. This is the best on offer by a long shot. Tairua Beach is a fairly exposed beach, so with that long-period groundswell, expect it to wall up and offer some solid, punchy walls. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.

Overall, you’ve got a long flat spell ahead, but that Wednesday August 12th is a genuine heavy hitter. Worth holding out for.

- Rusty

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