Papa Tangaroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty lookin' at the Tanga-Roa stretch for the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you—this forecast is a wild ride, but you gotta pick your moments.

The water here is sitting at 69°F right now, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises jumping in. The spot is Papa Tangaroa, a solid reef break that only works on a S swell, and it's for advanced crew only. It's fairly consistent, but crowds are rare, so you might have it to yourself.

We start off with a rough patch. From Wednesday the 19th right through to Sunday the 23rd, it's a write-off. The wind is howling and cross-off or cross-on, making a mess of things. The swell is there but the conditions are just plain poor. The combined energy is weak to moderate at best, like 648 to 1010, but it doesn't matter with that wind.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are a different story, but not a good one. Massive swell rolls in, 10ft to 16ft, with a very strong energy reading of 2489 up to 13074. This is big, powerful stuff. The wind is cross or cross-on, though, so it's gonna be lumpy and choppy. This is strictly for the elite, and even then, it's not going to be clean. On Tuesday afternoon, the energy is still huge at 12248, and the wind is cross, so it's a bit of a mess. It gets a bit of a score, but it's not what I'd call a standout session.

Wednesday the 26th is still too big and windy, with 13ft to 12ft swell and 25 km/h cross-on winds. The energy is still massive, around 5000 to 3800, but the conditions are poor.

Thursday the 27th, the swell drops to 7ft in the morning, but it's still cross-on and choppy. Energy is moderate at 1125. Not great.

Now, here's the one to circle. Friday the 28th of August. This is the standout. Morning glass-off with NNW wind at 5 km/h, and a clean 8ft SW swell. The combined energy is strong at 1503. The afternoon is offshore too, with a moderate breeze keeping it clean. This is the best on offer, hands down. It's a bit big for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is the window. The swell direction is from the SW, which is the optimum for this spot.

Saturday the 29th, the wind swings back onshore, and the swell drops to 6ft. It's marginal, not worth the paddle.

Sunday the 30th, the swell picks up to 10ft, but it's cross-on and choppy. Energy is strong at 3548. Not clean.

The first week of September is a mixed bag of onshore winds and big swell, all cross-on and messy. Energy stays high, around 2000 to 2600, but the wind ruins it. The only glimmer is Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon, with a light NE breeze going cross-off, a 5ft SW swell, and a strong energy of 2027. That could be a sneaky good session, but it's a long way out.

So, bottom line: the best bet is the morning of Friday the 28th of August at Papa Tangaroa. Glassy conditions, a solid 8ft SW swell, and strong energy. That's the one to plan for.

Rusty.

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