Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s coming up for Te Araroa.

First up, the water temp is sittin’ at about 60°F and a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – pretty standard.

The next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag, honestly. We’ve got a lot of small, weak energy days to start. Wednesday the 22nd through to Saturday the 26th is mostly small and ordinary, with a lot of cross or cross-off winds that just aren’t making it clean. The swell energy is weak, with combined energy readings under 300. Not much to get excited about. The surf is mostly under 3 ft and the period is all over the place.

Now, the real standout starts on Sunday the 26th and stretches through to Friday the 1st of August. This is where it gets good.

For the true highlight, lock in Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th. On Monday morning, we see 5 ft of ESE swell at 13 seconds, with a light cross-off breeze from the SW. That’s clean, lined-up, and the combined energy is 778 (moderate). By Monday afternoon, it jumps to 5 ft, 14 seconds, with glassy offshore W wind at 3 mph – that is prime. Tuesday morning is the peak: 5 ft, 14 seconds, pure offshore from the SSW at 6 mph, with a combined energy of 928. That’s the best on offer. This is a consistent spot so you won’t be waiting long. Expect it to be a bit bigger, so it’s solid for intermediates and up. The crowd factor is ‘never’, so this is a solo mission dream. The swell direction (ESE) matches the optimum direction (NE) reasonably well, so the point should handle it beautifully.

After that peak, things hold up nicely through the end of the week. Wednesday morning the 27th is still 5 ft but with a cross wind, so it’s a step down. Thursday the 30th has rain showers but the wind is cross-off, keeping it clean at 5 ft. Friday the 31st is 4 ft and clean, good for a more relaxed session.

Then the second week gets a bit messy. Strong southerly winds blow in on the 1st and 2nd of August – 25-28 mph – which makes it hard work even if it’s offshore. The swell drops right down too. There’s a flicker of life on Monday the 3rd of August with 4 ft of SE swell and a gentle offshore, but the energy is moderate (365). It picks up again on Tuesday the 4th with 4 ft and glassy conditions. The big news is Wednesday the 5th: 8 ft of NNW swell at a short 7 seconds, and sure, it’s glassy, but that’s a beach break closeout machine – probably more for the kite crew. Then Thursday the 6th of August goes off the dial: 8 ft of NNW swell (combined energy 2507 - very strong), but it’s a 9-second period. That’s expert territory and the direction is a cross-off at first, so it’s clean, but this is for the big dogs only.

So the takeaway: Sunday the 26th to Friday the 1st of August is your window, and Monday/Tuesday are the standouts. Don’t sleep on it.

Rusty.

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