Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next few weeks are serving up for us at Te Araroa. This is a consistent spot, a beach and point setup, and right from the get-go we've got a small window of clean surf to start the period.

We kick off on Thursday the 20th of August with a solid start. Thursday morning is showing clean, 5ft surf from the SE with a light offshore breeze. By the afternoon, it goes glassy – dead flat calm – with the swell dropping a touch to 5ft. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate (384), but with those light winds, it's going to be a nice, tidy wave.

Friday the 21st sees the swell back off to 3ft. The morning is glassy again, but it's a bit ordinary. The afternoon gets a cross-shore wind that messes with the shape. Not the best, but you could scratch a few.

Then we hit a long, dry spell. From Saturday the 22nd of August all the way through to Tuesday the 2nd of September, the surf quality just tanks. There's a whole lot of nothing worth paddling out for – messy winds, tiny waves, and a few days of weak, choppy junk. The combined energy drops to pitiful numbers, often below 100. You’re looking at over a week of poor surf conditions. It’s a real bummer.

But hold onto your leash, because things get seriously interesting at the end of the outlook. On Thursday the 3rd of September, the swell machine wakes up. Morning brings a massive 12ft groundswell from the NW with a 9-second period and a light offshore. The combined energy is absolutely pumping at 1903. Let me be clear: 12ft is too big for most, and the file says it's predicted to be too big for this break. This is expert territory only at Te Araroa. In the afternoon, it backs off to a still-heavy 8ft, with a clean offshore wind (gentle breeze) and excellent conditions. That afternoon session is the standout of the entire 16-day run for the big-wave crew.

Friday the 4th of September looks like a good follow-up. The morning has 4ft clean surf from the NW with glassy conditions. The swell energy is still respectable at 311. It’ll be a much more manageable size for the average surfer after the previous day's bomb.

So to sum it up: get on it this Thursday and Friday if you can, because after that, the surf goes dead for over a week. The real prize is hiding way out in the forecast, on Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon and Friday the 4th, but that big day is one for the experienced surfers only.

Rusty.

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