Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with ya – this is a tough stretch for Tawharanui. We’re looking at a long, dry spell here. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until the afternoon of Friday the 18th, and even then, it’s not a barnburner.

For days leading up to that, from Wednesday the 16th through Friday morning, it’s pretty much flat or blown out. Thursday the 17th is a write-off with a strong north cross-onshore wind and messy, choppy conditions. Friday morning the 18th has a bit of size, around 7ft, but the wind is still onshore and ugly.

Then on Friday afternoon, the 18th, things start to turn. The wind swings around to a light SSW offshore, cleaning it right up. We get a 4ft swell from the NNE with a period of 8 seconds, giving us moderate energy (249). The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year. This is the standout window – the only time in the whole outlook where the conditions actually line up. It’s a beach and reef setup, and with the offshore wind, it’ll be clean. But keep in mind, the swell direction is NNE, not the preferred NE.

After that brief moment of hope, it goes quiet again. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th are small and way too windy – those 28 mph SW offshores might look pretty, but they’ll make it impossible to paddle into those tiny 1ft waves. The rest of the week, from Monday the 21st all the way through to the end of the period, is a desert of flat, clean but tiny surf, with energy readings often dropping into single digits. There’s a tiny bump on Sunday the 27th with a 4ft NW swell and moderate energy (107), but the wind is cross-offshore and the conditions are just ordinary.

Honestly, if you’re a beginner, the Friday afternoon window with 4ft waves is about as big as you’ll want. For anyone else, that’s your one and only shot. The rest of this 16-day run is a real test of patience.

Rusty.

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