Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – we’ve got a pretty grim stretch ahead for Tawharanui. The next 16 days are mostly a write-off for anything that’s genuinely worth paddling out for. There’s a real big gap of almost two weeks where the surf is flat or just ordinary, so don’t be holding your breath.

The first bit of interest shows up on Wednesday afternoon, 12 August, but honestly, it’s a shocker. We’ve got a 7ft NE swell running at a short 8 seconds, with a cross-onshore breeze at 19 mph and light rain. The water’s sitting at 58°F, which is about normal for this time of year – nothing unusual there. The combined wave energy’s moderate at 441, but the conditions are lumpy and messy. This is a beach and reef setup, so with that onshore wind and poor surf quality, you’d be better off looking for a kitesurfing session than a paddle.

Thursday morning, 13 August, things calm down a bit. Swell drops to 4ft from the NE, period still short at 7 seconds, but the wind swings offshore from the WSW at 6 mph. It’s clean, but the waves are ordinary – only 128 energy. That afternoon goes glassy with 3ft NE swell and zero wind, but again, it’s just small and weak. Not worth rushing out for.

From Friday 14 August through to Sunday 23 August, it’s a total desert. Swell heights barely tickle 3ft, mostly from the E or NE, with periods all short. Wind’s sometimes offshore, but the energy is tiny – mostly under 100. There’s a few windows of clean conditions, like Saturday afternoon 15 August with a moderate offshore from the SSW at 16 mph and 2ft E swell, but the waves are too small to get excited about. Same story for Sunday 16 August morning – 3ft E swell, clean, but only 99 energy. Just not enough punch.

Late in the window, Monday 24 August starts to see a bit of a lift – 3ft N swell on Monday morning, then 4ft N on Monday afternoon with onshore wind picking up to 16 mph. The combined energy gets to 103, but it’s still onshore and the surf quality is poor. Tuesday 25 August brings the biggest swell of the whole period: 5ft from the north with a period of 8 seconds, but a strong onshore NE wind at 28 mph and light rain. That’s 285 energy – moderate – but the conditions are truly horrid for surfing. Way too messy for anything but a kite.

By Wednesday 26 August, the wind goes cross-offshore from the west at 6 mph with 2ft NE swell – clean again, but still tiny (46 energy). Thursday 27 August has offshore winds over 25 mph, which is clean but hard to paddle into, and the swell stays small.

The standout? Honestly, there isn’t one. If I had to pick the most usable session, it’d be Thursday morning 13 August – that 4ft NE swell with offshore wind at Tawharanui (Tawharanui) gives you clean but modest waves. Nothing special, but it’s the best of a bad lot. Everything else is too small, too onshore, or too windy to bother.

Hang in there, mate – it tends not to stay this flat forever. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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