Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here.

Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – Tawharanui is having a tough run. The whole 16-day window is flat or close to it. The best of it is really just a couple of sessions that are barely surfable, and even then, you’d be scratching for anything worth paddling out for.

We start off Wednesday the 26th through to Thursday the 27th with tiny 0.3ft windswell from the NE, super short period around 9 to 10 seconds. Combined energy is pitiful – single digits to low teens – and the wind is cross-off but it doesn't matter 'cause there's nothing to push you around. Water temp is sitting at 57°F, about normal for this time of year, so that's not the issue.

Friday the 28th sees a bump to 4ft to 4ft from the north, but the period drops to a shocking 5 seconds. That’s pure windswell, and the combined energy hits 82 – still well under 100, so weak. Add in a solid 16 mph cross-onshore wind and you’ve got choppy, messy conditions. Not one for a paddle board. Honestly, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than a surfboard session.

Saturday the 29th is similar: 4ft in the morning, same northerly slop, still choppy. By the afternoon, the wind swings to a south cross-off at 9 mph, and the wave comment changes to “surfable but very ordinary.” The swell drops to 3ft, combined energy is 98, still weak. The direction is still N, period 7 seconds – it’s not clean enough to get excited about.

Sunday the 30th is the best we’ve got, and it’s still average. Offshore wind from the WSW at 16 mph in the morning, dropping to 3ft NNE swell, period 8 seconds, combined energy 104 – moderate energy. It’s clean, but the size is small. That afternoon the wind picks up to 19 mph and the swell drops to 3ft – it’s getting blown out. Still, for a dedicated soul surfer, the Sunday morning window might give you a few little runners.

From Monday the 31st onward, it’s tiny again: 2ft or less for days. Wind is often offshore or cross-off, so the water will be clean, but there’s just no power. Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September are both 1ft to 2ft with 10-second period and combined energy in the 30s to 40s. Barely enough to stand up on.

The rest of the first week and into the second week (through to September 10th) is a long stretch of nothing doing. Most days show 0.7ft to 3ft, with short periods, and while the wind is frequently offshore (WSW or SW), the swell just isn't there. The spot is Tawharanui – a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent normally, but this run is a proper dry spell. A few late windows on September 6th afternoon show 3ft NNW swell with a 5-second period and offshore wind – surfable but ordinary. That’s the only other possible window.

So if you’re determined, Sunday the 30th morning is the standout – but only just. It’s a modest 3ft of NNE groundswell with clean offshore wind. Tawharanui works best on a NE swell direction, so that fits. The period is only 8 seconds, so the waves will be a bit lumpy and disorganised, but it’s the cleanest we get. Crowds are “often” here, but with conditions like this, you’ll probably have it mostly to yourself.

Forget the rest of the run – it’s a long gap of flatness. This is one of those times when the ocean just shuts down. Keep an eye on it, 'cause it won't stay like this forever, but right now, there's barely a ripple.

- Rusty

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