Tairua Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and uninspiring for Tairua Beach. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak surf ahead, so if you’re desperate for a paddle, you’ll be doing it for the exercise, not the waves.

Right now, this Friday afternoon the 11th, we’ve got a small 1ft NE swell rolling in with a long 13-second period. The wind is light and offshore, so it’s clean, but the energy is weak – only 76 on the combined scale. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th see a bit more wind – fresh offshore on Saturday, but the swell stays stuck at that same 1ft with an energy reading in the 50s and 60s. It’s clean, but there’s just nothing behind it. A complete non-event.

From Monday the 14th all the way through to Thursday the 17th, it gets even smaller. We’re looking at 0.7ft to 1ft swells, with energy readings dropping well below 50. There’s some clean mornings with light winds, but you’d be lucky to find anything worth paddling out for. Thursday afternoon sees a short-lived bump to 3ft, but it’s a short-period 6-second windswell, cross-onshore and choppy. It’s messy and junky – not what we want.

Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th bring a slight increase in size, up to 3ft, with a longer period window around 7-8 seconds. Friday morning looks best with light offshore winds, and the energy bumps up to 91. It’s still only a 1/10 on the scoreboard, but it might be your best chance to get a few reformy little runners. Saturday morning has a moderate offshore but the period drops, and by the afternoon it’s onshore. Nothing special.

The 20th through the 24th is another flat spell. Very small surf, mostly under 2ft, with winds offering a few clean windows but no power behind any of it. The energy readings are low, generally in the 20s and 30s, and we dip down to a pretty lifeless 8 on the 24th.

The last day of any note is Friday the 25th, when we see a spike back up to 3ft, but it’s a short-period E swell with a moderate cross-onshore wind, making it choppy and uninviting. Not worth the effort.

So, to be straight with you: there are no standout days here. The best of a bad bunch is probably Friday morning the 18th, with that 3ft and clean offshore light breeze, but even then it’s a marginal call. The swell direction (NE) does match the optimum for Tairua Beach, but the size and energy just aren’t there.

The long-range stuff is promising but less certain. Hold tight, keep an eye on the charts, and don’t get your hopes up for a proper session in the next two weeks. The crowd factor isn't an issue, but the surf quality is.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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