Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what Tawharanui’s got lined up for us.

To be straight with you, the next week and a half is pretty slim pickings. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak waves and mostly ordinary conditions. From now through to around the 30th of July, the swell is tiny and the energy is low, often under 100. It’s a flat spell, no doubt about it.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are non-starters. Waves are under 1ft with short-period slop, and the wind is messy. Saturday and Sunday the 25th-26th clean up a bit but the swell stays small and weak. Monday the 27th through Wednesday the 29th finally sees some glassy or offshore mornings, with a bit of 1ft to 2ft easterly swell creeping in. The combined energy sits between 42 and 87, still weak, and while the conditions are clean, it's barely surfable. You could get a little knee-high runner on a longboard, but don't expect much.

Thursday the 30th gets a bump in energy to 110, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy – not worth the paddle.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Friday the 31st of July is the standout for the whole forecast. The morning brings a 8ft north swell with moderate offshore wind, and the combined energy hits 618 – that is strong, proper wave energy for the region. This is a powerful groundswell (7-second period), so it will be offering heavy, dumpy shapes. The crowd factor at Tawharanui is ‘often,’ so expect company. The optimum swell direction here is NE, and we have a north swell, so it’s close enough to work the banks.

The first week of August looks average again. Saturday the 1st has a 3ft NE swell (energy 280) but strong 25 mph offshore winds make it clean but a mission to paddle into. Sunday and Monday (2nd-3rd of August) see gale-force offshore winds, which is great for the wave face but brutal for your arms.

The last real highlight comes on Wednesday the 5th of August. The afternoon shows a 6ft easterly swell (energy 425) with moderate offshore wind from the SW. This is good, solid surf – moderate energy, clean conditions, and a decent size for intermediate and above.

So, to wrap it up: you’ve got a long flat spell now, a big, raw north swell on the 31st of July that’s for experienced surfers, and a solid easterly swell on the 5th of August that looks the most user-friendly of the lot. Hang in there.

Rusty.

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