Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up. Tawharanui’s got a rough patch ahead. Water temp’s about 59°, which is normal for this time of year.

First real shot is Friday the 17th in the afternoon. Swell’s only 1ft from the east, with a long 17-second period. That’s groundswell, but it’s tiny. Combined energy is weak (92). Wind’s blowing offshore from the southwest at 13 mph, so it’s clean. For a beginner, you can paddle, but don’t expect much.

Saturday the 18th is the same story: 1ft in the morning, 1ft in the afternoon. Winds stay offshore, glassy. Energy drops to 75 then 41. Clean, but knee-high.

Then it goes dead. From Sunday the 19th through Thursday the 30th, the surf is mostly poor. Swell barely hits 0.7ft, 0.3ft, or nothing. There’s a little bump on Tuesday the 21st with 4ft of windswell, but the period is a short 5 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore, choppy. Energy hits 71, but it’s a mess. That’s a full week-plus of barely anything.

Friday the 31st is the best of the bunch. Swell is 3ft from the east, period 8 seconds, energy up to 95. Winds are cross-offshore from the west at 19 mph, so it’s clean. Still small, but it’s the closest thing to a surfable day. Saturday the 1st of August follows with 1ft and clean cross-off winds, but again, ankle to knee-high.

The standout? There’s no real standout. If you’re itching, Friday the 31st has the most energy and cleanest conditions, but it’s a longboard or foil day. Crowds are often at Tawharanui, but with waves this small, it should be quiet.

The break is beach and reef, exposed to the northeast. The optimum swell direction is NE, and we’re mostly getting east and east-northeast, so direction’s okay. But the size is a total bust.

Bottom line: long spells of nothing, and the best day is still tiny. For kite surfers, the windier days with 4ft and cross-onshore might be fun, but for paddle surfing, it’s a rough stretch.

Rusty.

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