Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at what’s on offer for Tawharanui over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, I’ve gotta be honest with you – it’s a pretty grim stretch. We’ve got very little in the way of proper surf, and what does show up is either too small, messy, or blown out. Let's walk through it.

We’re kicking off Monday the 27th of July with a tiny 1 ft easterly swell, period around 12 seconds. That combined wave energy is weak at 54, and the wind’s a cross-off SSW breeze at 12 mph, so it’s clean, but man, it’s small. Not much to get excited about. Monday afternoon sees the wind swing offshore from the SSW at 16 mph, still only 1 ft, but the longer 13-second period gives it a bit more shape. The combined energy bumps to 59, but it’s still barely surfable. You’d be on a foamie if you’re keen.

Tuesday the 28th is more of the same – Tuesday morning has that same 1 ft easterly swell with a 13-second period, cross-off southerly at 9 mph. Clean enough, but tiny. By Tuesday afternoon the wind goes cross-shore from the SE at 6 mph, and the waves are just messy little lines. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 29th through to the end of the first week is a write-off. We’ve got a slight bump to 2 ft on Wednesday morning, but the wind is onshore from the NNE at 6 mph. The combined energy is still weak at 86. The rest of the week, through Thursday and Friday, is the same story – small, onshore or cross-on winds, and poor conditions. The water temperature here is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

There is a bit of a pulse on Friday the 31st of July – a north swell pushing to 4 ft, but the period is a short, choppy 7 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 188. The wind is cross-off from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’s clean, but that short period means it’s going to be lumpy and weak. By Friday afternoon, the rain showers roll in and the swell drops to 3 ft. Still not much.

After that, from Saturday the 1st of August through the middle of the second week, it’s a dry spell of tiny 0.3 ft to 0.7 ft swells with near gale-force winds on Sunday the 2nd. It’s just not happening. The break is a beach and reef setup at Tawharanui, usually fairly consistent, but this run it’s flat and ugly. The swell direction is mainly from the NE, which is the optimum direction for this spot, but there’s just no size or energy behind it.

Then, heading into the second week, around Thursday the 6th of August, we see a little lift with a 3 ft north swell, but the period is a pathetic 4 seconds and the wind is onshore from the NNE. The combined energy is only 38. Friday the 7th is similar – small and onshore.

The one real standout in the whole window is coming up on Saturday the 8th of August. We’ve got a north-northeasterly swell hitting 5 ft with a 7-second period. The combined energy ramps right up to 496, which is strong wave energy. However, the wind is a cross-onshore from the ENE at 16 mph, making it choppy. This is borderline too big for beginners at over 5 ft, and with that short period and messy wind, it’s not going to be clean. Sunday the 9th is similar, 5 ft to 5 ft with onshore winds. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

Monday and Tuesday of the second week (10th and 11th August) have 3 ft to 4 ft swells from the ENE and E, but the winds are onshore from the NE around 12-16 mph. The combined energy is moderate to strong (178 to 311), but the conditions are poor and choppy.

So, the best on offer is probably that Saturday the 8th of August pulse, but it’s a messy, expert-only wave with the wind as it is. There’s nothing here to write home about. The crowds at Tawharanui can be an issue sometimes, but honestly, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that this fortnight – there just won’t be anyone out.

Stay patient, mates. The coast will come alive again.

Rusty.

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