Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s cookin’ for the Tawharanui area over the next two weeks.

Honestly, it’s a rough patch. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with no real surf to speak of. From the start of the period all the way through the end of August, the swell is tiny and weak – nothing that’s gonna get you out of bed. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but the waves just aren’t there. The combined energy is stuck in the low double digits – 10 to 55 – which is basically flat. There’s a little spike on the 28th of August with a combined swell energy of 152, but it’s a messy, short-period 5ft swell from the north with a fresh cross-shore wind and a lumpy cross-chop. That’s not surfable; it’s just a washing machine.

The only faint glimmer comes in the second week. On Thursday, the 3rd of September, the morning shows a 4ft swell from the NNW with a short period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy is 115. The wind is light offshore from the WSW, so it’s clean. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," so it’s a far cry from a standout, but it’s the only time in the whole 16 days the score even nudges above zero. If you’re desperate, that’s your window. The water temperature is around 57°F, which is pretty average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Don’t expect much else. The rest of the first week of September runs flat again, with tiny swell and light winds. The crowd factor at Tawharanui is listed as "often," but honestly, you won’t have to worry about that because nobody will be paddling out.

This is a tough run for the area. We’ve got a solid 15 days of nothing worthwhile before that one ordinary morning on the 3rd of September. If you’re a kite surfer, that blustery 28th of August might be more your style, but for paddle surfing, it’s a big old blank.

Stay salty, everyone.

Rusty.

Read more