Takapuna-North Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak surf ahead, and it’s going to be a test of patience more than anything. For Takapuna-North Reef, the water’s sitting at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but you’ll want the hood and booties.

Right now, through Wednesday and Thursday, it’s basically flat. We're talking 0.3ft dribble with weak energy in the single digits to low twenties. The wind does swing offshore and clean on Wednesday, but that’s doing nothing for waves that aren’t there. It’s just a glassy lake out there.

Friday the 28th sees a tiny pulse, maybe 3ft, but the period drops to 4-5 seconds – that’s just wind slop, pretty junky and cross-shore. Not worth the effort. We get a bit of rain on Saturday and the swell fades back to 2ft. The wind turns cross-off in the afternoon, so the surface cleans up, but there’s still nothing with any punch.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st, the swell is down to 1-1ft, but the wind is clean and cross-off, which is nice. But it’s still just tiny, dribbly waves. The combined energy is weak, only around 13-20. You’d be fighting for nothing more than a knee-high bump.

The whole first week of September is more of the same. Swell stays between 0.3ft and 1ft, with periods mostly in that short, weak range. There’s a lot of clean, offshore wind, especially on Wednesday the 2nd and Friday the 4th, but it’s all for nothing without any swell. It’s a classic flat spell.

There’s a brief whisper of something on Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th – the period jumps to a long 10-11 seconds, but the swell height stays at a pathetic 0.3ft. You can see the energy trying to move, but it’s not going to translate into anything rideable. This spot is sheltered and inconsistent, and it’s living up to that reputation right now. On the 7th, the wind gets fresh and offshore, but it’s still just flat.

The last days, the 8th through the 10th, are more of the same – nothing doing. On the 10th, we finally get a glassy morning, but there’s still just 0.3ft of swell. I’m not going to lie, it’s a rough outlook. There are no good surf options in this 16-day window. For a beginner spot that’s usually inconsistent, this blank run is pretty normal. But it won’t stay poor forever – forecasts can change. But as it stands, you might want to dust off the longboard skegs and just enjoy the clean water, because there’s nothing to ride.

Rusty.

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