Papa Tangaroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s your boy Rusty. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a solid block of surf coming our way, but you’ll need to pick your moments carefully because the wind is gonna be a real chatterbox for the first few days.

The main event is a series of powerful SW groundswells, but the wind is mostly cross or onshore early on, making things messy. Things clean up nicely for a session on Sunday the 26th though, and that’s where the real standout is.

Papa Tangaroa is an advanced reef break, and it’s exposed to the south swell. It’s fairly consistent, but it’s a rare spot and crowds are likely. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

The first few days are a write-off for any decent waves. Thursday morning, the 23rd, we’ve got a 10ft SW swell (16s period) with a cross-shore wind. The combined energy is massive at 4825, but it’s lumpy and cross-chop. Not worth it. Friday and Saturday are bigger, with 13ft to 15ft SW swells, but the wind is all over the place, making it rough and choppy. That’s expert territory for size, but the quality is poor.

Now, here’s the good news. Sunday morning, the 26th, the wind turns light southerly, straight onshore, but the swell drops to 10ft from the SW (12s period, 2404 energy). It’s still a bit of a paddle. But Sunday afternoon is the pick of the first week. The swell settles to 8ft from the SW, the period is still a juicy 12 seconds, and the wind swings to a light NE cross-off. The water goes glassy. The energy is 1921, and it’s clean. For experienced surfers, this is a window. That long period will make the sets a bit spaced out, but it’ll be well-shaped at this reef.

Monday and Tuesday drop off significantly in size and quality. Not much to get excited about. Then Wednesday afternoon, the 29th, we get a little burst of magic. The swell is only 5ft from the SSW (12s period, 1174 energy), but the wind is glassy, straight out of the south. It’s silky clean. A great session for a smaller board.

The second week has a couple of blips. Friday the 31st of July morning offers a 7ft WSW swell with a cross breeze, but it’s not great. The real long-range standout is a late one. Friday, August 7th afternoon. The swell is small, just 3ft from the SW, but the period is a very long 21 seconds. The wind is glassy from the NNE. The energy is 1512. For a reef like this, that long period will produce some beautiful, grinding lines. It’s one for the patient crew.

So, if you’re looking for the best of the best, hit Sunday afternoon, July 26th for the biggest clean swell, or Wednesday afternoon, July 29th for a smaller, glassy session. The late call on Friday, August 7th afternoon is a promising dark horse, but it’s a long way out.

Rusty.

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