Te Awanga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are gonna test your patience, but there are a couple of windows that’ll make it all worthwhile.

We’re looking at a real mixed bag starting out with some serious muscle, then a long flat spell, before a promising pulse late in the period. Let’s break it down.

The first wave of action hits Te Awanga on Wednesday afternoon, August 19th, and it's a brute. A solid 10ft S swell is pumping, with very strong wave energy (2942). But look, for a point break that's best on a NE swell, this is too much juice from the wrong direction. The 25 km/h cross-offshore wind from the SSW will keep things clean, but it’s just too big and unruly for a beginner-friendly spot like this. The water’s also a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 53°F. This one’s for the hellmen on a big board.

The quality turns around real quick. Thursday, August 20th, morning is where you want to be. We’ve got a 6ft S swell, moderate energy (620), but that WSW wind is blowing a clean 15 km/h offshore. This is the pick of the first week – expect very good, clean surf. For a crew of beginners and intermediates at Te Awanga, this is your session.

Friday, August 21st morning has a long-period 5ft S groundswell (16 seconds) and very strong energy (1446), with just a 5 km/h cross-offshore breeze. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers, but that long period at a point break? It might wrap in a bit too straight, making the take-off tricky. Worth a paddle if you know what you're doing.

After Friday, things drop off a cliff. From Saturday, August 22nd morning through to the end of August, we’re staring at tiny, weak swell with poor energy readings (mostly below 200). There’s a stretch of 7–8 days where you won’t find a single decent wave. It’s flat, it’s small, it’s frustrating. The odd 1ft to 2ft bumps with short periods just isn’t going to get you off the couch.

Then, from September 1st onwards, we start to see a pulse again, but the winds are howling. A 40 km/h SSW cross-offshore breeze on Wednesday morning the 2nd will clean up a 2ft S swell, but the energy is nothing special (285). The real tease is Wednesday afternoon on the 2nd: a 8ft S swell kicks up with moderate energy (954), but it's cross-off and probably just too messy for the setup. Finally, on Thursday, September 3rd, morning, we get another look: a 5ft S swell (8 seconds) with an offshore wind from the SSW at 25 km/h. That’s a clean, punchy wave for the guys who didn't sell their boards in the flat spell. It’s far out, but worth a mental note.

So, the standout of the whole outlook? No question: Thursday, August 20th, morning at Te Awanga. It’s not huge, but that offshore wind on a clean 6ft S swell with moderate energy makes for the best surf you’ll see for a while. Get on it.

Rusty.

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