Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Te Araroa over the next couple of weeks.

The good news is we've got a nice little window of clean, fun surf kicking off this Sunday. The window is small, so you'll want to be on it, but the conditions look sweet. After that, things get pretty ordinary for a solid week, before a massive pulse of energy shows up right at the end of the outlook, though it brings its own problems. Let's break it down.

Sunday, 19th July is your standout day. The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year – a nice little treat. Early morning, under a clear sky, we've got a 4ft groundswell from the SE with a long 13-second period, pushing a solid, moderate wave energy (509). The wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 19 mph, and the call is "clean." It's going to be a good session. By the afternoon, it gets even better – the wind drops to a glassy 3 mph from the SSE, with the swell holding at 4ft. The energy is still moderate (424), but those glassy conditions are a major positive. This is your pick of the whole outlook.

Monday, 20th July sees the wind pick up hard from the south at 16 mph, making a mess of things. The swell drops to 3ft with poor conditions. Give it a miss.

Tuesday, 21st July through to Thursday, 23rd July are all very ordinary. The swell is tiny, dropping from 2ft down to 1ft, with weak energy (125 down to 51). The wind is light and variable, sometimes offshore, but the waves just aren't there to do anything with. It's a flat spell.

Friday, 24th July is a write-off. Strong onshore winds and a messy, short-period windswell build up to 6ft in the afternoon. Not worth getting wet.

Saturday, 25th July through to Thursday, 30th July just stay poor. There's a couple of days with clean conditions and a long-period swell, but the wave heights are tiny (1.0ft to 3ft), and the energy is weak. The wind is often strong and cross-off, which cleans the surface but there's nothing to ride. A long, blank stretch.

Friday, 31st July morning has a tiny 1ft swell and glassy conditions, but it's more of a paddle than a surf.

Now, Saturday, 1st August things get interesting. The morning has a 6ft, short-period (6s) swell from the NW, with glassy conditions and moderate energy (306). That's surfable. But the afternoon is where it gets big. An 12ft NW swell rolls in with strong energy (1193), but it's flagged as too big for this break. This is for experienced big-wave surfers only, and even then, it's a maybe.

Sunday, 2nd August is the big one. A massive 15ft to 16ft NW groundswell hits with a 10-second period. The energy is immense (3351 to 4776). The wind is manageable, but at these sizes, Te Araroa is going to be a washing machine. This is expert-only territory, and honestly, it looks more like a spectacle than a surf session for most. After that, Monday, 3rd August sees the swell drop back to junk with strong onshore winds.

So, in summary: Sunday, 19th July is the only true standout. Get out there for those glassy, clean 4ft-4ft waves. The big swell at the start of August is a warning, not a welcome.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty.

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