Papa Tangaroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wetsuit, 'cause I'm lookin' at the next 16 days for Papa Tangaroa here in Tanga-Roa – and it's a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that are gonna be worth paddlin' out for.

We've got a bit of a wait for the good stuff. Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are a write-off – onshore winds and chaotic, lumpy conditions. Sunday the 9th is still pretty average, with a small, short period swell and onshore breezes. You'll be sitting on your board watching the horizon, not catching much.

Things start to flicker on Monday the 10th. That's your first real standout. Monday morning brings a clean 7 ft swell from the WSW with a 14-second period – that's proper groundswell. The combined energy is a solid 3297, so there's some grunt there. And the wind? Light breeze from the NW, cross-offshore. That's gonna be glassy and lined up. This is for experienced surfers, though – it's a solid, powerful wave. The water temp is 69°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th are a washout again – strong cross-onshore winds from the SW make a mess of the 8 ft to 10 ft swell. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th are still marginal with onshore winds, so not worth the hype.

Keep an eye on Saturday the 15th. It's a bit of a wildcard. We've got a 8 ft swell from the SW with a 14-second period, but the wind is crankin' from the NNE at 40 km/h – that's a strong offshore breeze. The combined energy is 2144, so it's got push. The catch? It's a strong offshore wind, which means the waves will be clean and hollow, but it's gonna be a battle to get out the back. This is a spot for the strong paddlers, not the faint-hearted.

Sunday the 16th has even stronger offshore winds (55 km/h from the N), which is near-gale territory. The waves are 6 ft from the W, but you'll be paddling as hard as you can and going nowhere. That's more for the kite surfers than paddle surfers, honestly.

The end of the run from the 17th to the 22nd is mostly average. Onshore winds, lumpy conditions, and small, short-period swell. The best of that bunch is Wednesday the 19th afternoon – a 5 ft swell from the SW with a 11-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE. That's a clean, small-wave day, expect very good surf conditions in the session. But it's not the same as the bigger energy we saw on the 10th.

So, the two standouts for me are Monday the 10th morning, and Saturday the 15th morning. The 10th is the most accessible for experienced surfers, with clean, powerful groundswell. The 15th is for the hardcore, with that strong offshore wind giving you a clean, challenging wave.

Rusty.

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