Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the forecast for Tawharanui. I’ll be straight with ya – the next 16 days are a tough watch for any surfer hangin’ for a proper wave. There’s a long dry spell up front, and only one window that really gets the heart goin’. Let’s wade through it.

First things first – there’s a gap of a few days with no real surf on offer. The first record that even hints at something is on Saturday, the 29th of August. We’ve got a bit of a northerly swell on the way, but it’s messy. The wind is onshore from the north at 19 mph, and the swell is around 7 ft but with a short period of 8 seconds – that’s wind swell, not groundswell, so it’s gonna be bumpy and lumpy. It’s a beach and reef setup here, and with the wind honkin’ cross-on, it’s lookin’ more like a session for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

Then, Saturday afternoon, the 29th, things get interestin’. The wind swings to a light westerly, 6 mph, and it’s cross-offshore. That’s a big turn for the better. The swell is still 7 ft from the north, period 8 seconds, but the energy jumps to 562 – that’s a strong pulse of wave energy. The water temp is about 57°, which is about 1° cooler than normal for this time of year – nothin’ wild, just a bit on the nippy side. For a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly consistent, this is the standout. The swell direction is north, and the optimum is northeast, so it’s close enough. The wind is clean, the waves will be clean, and it’s the best on offer. But, this spot gets crowded often, so expect company.

After Saturday, we hit another gap. Sunday the 30th through to Tuesday the 8th of September is mostly poor. The swell drops right off – under 3 ft – and the wind is either fresh offshore or cross-off, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. The energy numbers are low, all under 100. There’s a moment on Sunday the 6th of September when the swell picks up to 6 ft from the north-northwest, but the wind is cross-on, and the period is short at 7 seconds. The energy is a moderate 318, but the wind kills it. Again, for the beach and reef combo, kite surfers might have a laugh, but for paddlin’ – it’s a no.

Then, from the 9th to the 11th of September, the wind is onshore from the northeast, and the swell pops up again. The 10th of September Thursday afternoon shows a 8 ft swell from the north with a period of 7 seconds, and energy of 530 – a strong pulse. But the onshore 12 mph wind from the northeast is gonna make it a choppy, bumpy mess. That’s over 8 ft, which is expert territory, and with the wind on it, it’s ugly. The 11th of September Friday has more rain and onshore wind with a 4 ft swell – still no good.

So here’s the bottom line: the only real standout is Saturday afternoon, August 29th. The rest of the 16 days is a lot of flat spells and blown-out scraps. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, if you’re jonesin’ for a wave, that Saturday afternoon is your shot.

Rusty.

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