Papa Tangaroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good look at what's coming up for Papa Tangaroa, that famous reef over at Tanga-Roa.

Right off the bat, we've got a solid pulse of energy in the water, but the wind is a bit of a bugger. The water's sitting at 70°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The immediate forecast is a bit of a write-off. Friday the 17th is a complete no-go with a fresh cross-onshore breeze making a mess of things. Saturday the 18th looks a little better, with a cleaner sky and a gentler breeze, but the surf is still only marginal. We're looking at about 5 ft of swell from the WSW with a period of 10 seconds.

The first real standout window is Monday the 20th. The morning has a nice cross-offshore breeze from the NNE, and the swell is a clean 4 ft from the WSW, with a period of 11 seconds. The afternoon gets even better: a solid offshore wind from the North, with the swell holding at 4 ft. It's not the biggest, but it'll be clean and fun. The combined energy is moderate (637-671), so you'll feel some push.

Now, for the week of the 21st, there's a huge spike in energy – we're talking very strong wave energy (1514-5030) – but the wind is mostly onshore or cross. The best chance in that window is the morning of Thursday the 23rd. The swell is a meaty 8 ft from the SW, with a period of 16 seconds. That's a long-period groundswell, perfect for this reef. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NW, so it should be clean. This is a big swell though, over 8 ft, so this is one for the experts only. The combined energy is a powerful 4149, so you'll feel it.

The weekend of the 24th and 25th is a write-off again; the swell is huge (over 10 ft) and the cross-onshore wind is howling. It's a mess.

The next interesting window comes around Wednesday the 29th. The morning looks excellent. We've got a 8 ft swell from the WSW with a very long period of 16 seconds. The wind is light and off-shore from the NW. This is another big, clean swell best suited for experienced surfers. The combined energy is strong at 2528.

The very end of the forecast, on the 1st of August, throws up a massive swell of 13 ft to 15 ft from the West. The wind holds offshore, but it's a fresh to strong breeze. The energy is very strong again (2684-3723), but this is a massive, powerful wave. The period is only 10 seconds, which is shorter, so it might be a bit fat and crumbly in the face. It's a promising but less certain call this far out.

So, if I'm calling it, the top pick is the morning of Thursday the 23rd for the pure power and clean conditions, and the morning of Wednesday the 29th for another dose of that clean, long-period groundswell. Both are for the experienced crew.

Be safe, and don't be a hero in the big stuff.

Rusty.

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