Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s chew over what’s happening.

To be honest, mate, it’s a pretty bleak stretch ahead for Tawharanui. We’re looking at a solid run of poor conditions, with nothing really worth getting excited about until Monday, August 31st, and even then it’s barely worth calling a surf.

Tawharanui is a beach and reef setup, handling swell from the NE, so it’s got exposure, but for the next couple of weeks the energy just isn’t showing up. When a little bit of swell does pop, the wind is usually ruining it. Water temp is around 58°, which is about average for the time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

Starting Sunday the 16th of August, it’s a struggle. Sunday morning gives us a 2-foot easterly swell with a short 8-second period, and while the wind is a fresh offshore from the WSW (19 mph), the combined energy is weak at just 50. The report says it’s poor surf. That theme carries through the whole week – small swells, crummy winds.

There’s a tease on Sunday the 23rd of August, when a 4-foot NNW swell shows up in the morning, but with a period of only 5 seconds and a moderate cross-shore wind. By the afternoon it jumps to 7 feet with 346 combined energy, but the period is still a weak 6 seconds and the wind turns to a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy and messy – better suited to kites than surfboards.

Monday the 24th of August is a total loss with onshore winds hitting 28 mph and the swell dropping back under 2 feet. From there through the next week, we get strong offshore winds but basically no swell – heights of 1 foot or less.

Finally, on Monday the 31st of August, the morning shows a 2-foot swell from the ENE with a 7-second period, combined energy of 53, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the southeast (9 mph) keeping it clean. The report says it’s “surfable but very ordinary” – not good, but it’s the only window in the whole 16 days that isn’t a complete write-off. The afternoon drops back to 2 feet.

So the standout? There isn’t really one. If you’re keen, the morning of Monday the 31st of August is your best bet, but it’s nothing to write home about. It’s a long dry spell for an area that’s usually fairly consistent, so this kind of blank run is a bit out of the ordinary. Forecasts can always change, though.

Rusty.

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