Tairua Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – the next couple of weeks at Tairua Beach are looking pretty grim for paddling.

We start on Monday the 20th of July, and it’s a tough watch. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, and what little energy there is – combined swell energy of only 62 – is coming from the ENE with a short period around 5 seconds. That’s windswell, and with a cross-on breeze it’s just lumpy and weak. Water temp is sitting at 59°, which is spot-on average for this time of year.

Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd stay flat and messy. By Wednesday morning the swell drops to 0.7 ft, but at least the wind goes light offshore from the SW, so it’s clean – but there’s nothing to ride.

Thursday the 23rd is glassy in the arvo, but again, only 1 ft of swell. You could almost convince yourself there’s a ripple.

Friday the 24th gets a little bump in the afternoon with 3 ft from the NNW, but it’s cross-shore and period is only 5 seconds. Not worth the effort.

Now, Saturday the 25th of July is the first real glimmer. The morning shows 2 ft of easterly swell with a period jumping to 11 seconds, and it’s clean with a fresh offshore breeze from the SW. Combined energy hits 110 – that’s moderate but the wave height is tiny. This is promising in shape but not in size.

Sunday the 26th sees the energy climb – 3 ft from the NNW with 7-second period and fresh offshore wind in the morning, energy hits 137. It’s clean, but the period is short, so the waves will be a bit soft and quick.

The standout window arrives on Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th of July. On Monday morning, we’ve got 2 ft from the east with a 13-second period – that’s proper groundswell – and a gentle offshore. Combined energy is 177. That will produce clean, lined-up waves, but the size is still small. Monday afternoon and Tuesday pick up to 3 ft, energy shooting up to 242, with the same long period and offshore or cross-offshore winds. The crowd factor is “sometimes” at Tairua Beach, so you might see a few others, but it’s worth the paddle. The swell direction (ENE to ESE) is not bang-on the optimum NE, but it’s close enough.

From there, it fades. Wednesday the 29th of July through to Friday the 31st offers only 2–2 ft of clean but weak swell, energy dropping into the 100s. The conditions are clean, but the power is gone.

After that, we hit a big gap. From Saturday the 1st of August right through to Monday the 3rd, the swell collapses to 0.7 ft, long period from the ENE but barely a ripple. Tuesday the 4th of August has a pulse: 6 ft from the NNW, 7-second period, combined energy 290 – but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. That’s a messy, blown-out day, and for most surfers it’s not worth the hassle.

Overall, the only real window to pencil in is Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th of July. Early mornings with that clean offshore wind, long-period swell, and modest but rideable 2–3 ft waves. The rest of the 16 days is mostly flat or messy. If you’ve got a log or a funboard, you might find a couple of cruisy ones, but don’t expect fireworks.

Rusty.

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