Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s heading our way at Tawharanui.

To be straight with you, the next week and a half is looking pretty grim. There’s a long stretch of poor surf conditions, with a couple of very small, forgettable windows. The real standout is a single session on the morning of Monday the 27th of July, which is the only time I’d even bother paddling out.

We start off with nothing worth mentioning. Tuesday the 14th has a tiny 3ft NNE swell (67 weak energy) but a cross-shore chop ruins it. The rest of the week through to the weekend is a write-off – tiny waves, odd directions, and mostly messy wind. Even Friday the 17th has a touch of offshore wind, but the swell is only 1ft, so it’s just not enough to get excited about.

There’s a big pulse of swell coming in from the 21st, but it’s all bad news. By the 22nd we’re looking at 8ft NE swell (strong energy at 2206), but with a strong cross-onshore and messy conditions, it’s a complete blown-out mess. That continues through the 23rd and 24th with near-gale force winds and 10ft+ swell (up to 5019 energy). That’s expert-only territory, and even then, the wind is so bad you’d be better off with a kite. The water temp is about 59°F, which is pretty average for this time of year.

Now, the one bright spot. On Monday morning, the 27th of July, we get a 5ft E swell (moderate energy at 607) with a gentle offshore breeze from the west. That’s clean surf. The period is 12 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell with some punch. The wind is light and clean, and the break is a beach and reef setup, so it should handle that longer period well. This is a rare, solid window in a long stretch of dross. The wind stays clean through the afternoon, but the swell drops to 4ft.

After that, Tuesday the 28th has a drop-off to 3ft, and the rest of the outlook fades into small, choppy mush. So, if you can only go once, make it the morning of Monday the 27th. It’s the only day that’s worth the drive.

Rusty.

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