Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at Tawharanui (Auckland) are pretty grim. There’s no real swell to speak of, and the wind is mostly messy. It’s a dry spell, and you’ll be waiting a long time for anything worth paddling out for.

The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is about normal for this time of year, nothing to complain about there.

The first real chance of anything kicks off on Sunday, August 9th. We’ve got a pulse of 4ft to 5ft swell from the NNW, but that’s coming in with a short, weak period of just 6 seconds. The wind is cross-on or cross, so it’ll be choppy and average. The combined energy is moderate early on (137), then builds to 234 in the afternoon – but it’s not the kind of energy that makes for clean, fun waves. It’s marginal at best, and the score is a 1 out of 10. I’d say it’s more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers, honestly.

The next few days, Monday the 10th through Thursday the 13th, offer a tiny bit of swell – around 2ft to 5ft from the north, but the wind is mostly cross-off or cross-on, and the periods stay short (7 to 8 seconds). The combined energy is weak to moderate (55 to 180). The conditions are “surfable but very ordinary” or just plain poor. Nothing to get excited about.

Then Friday, August 14th sees a bigger jump in size – 7ft to 7ft from the north – but the wind is howling cross-on at 12 to 19 mph, and the period is still short (8-9 seconds). The combined energy hits 559 and then 997 (strong wave energy), but with that onshore wind, it’s a lumpy, messy mess. That’s for experts only, and even then, it’s not looking good.

The following week, from the 15th of August onwards, the swell drops away fast. We’re talking 0.7ft to 4ft from the north-east, with periods staying short. The wind is mostly cross-off or offshore later in the week, but the swell is just too small. The combined energy is weak (7 to 368). The best you’ll get is clean, tiny waves for a longboard or a paddle, but nothing worth writing home about. The offshore winds on the 18th to 20th (SSW to SW, 16 to 25 mph) will be strong and clean, but with only 0.7ft to 1ft of swell, it’s barely a ripple.

Honestly, this is a blank run. The forecast can change, but right now, there’s no standout session. Tawharanui is a beach and reef setup that needs a decent swell from the NE to work, and it’s just not getting it. Hang in there, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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