Te Ikaamaru Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I've had a good look at what's coming up for Te Ikaamaru Bay.

First thing to say: it's a grim run on the whole, no two ways about it. We've got a 16-day window, but honestly, the surf is practically non-existent for the bulk of it. There's a real gap from Monday the 7th of July all the way through to Monday the 14th of July where there's barely a ripple to get excited about. You wouldn't paddle out for anything in that stretch.

Let's start with the few days that have some size, but don't get your hopes up. This weekend, Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th, we see some swell rolling in. Saturday morning has some clouds with a strong cross-onshore wind from the north doing us no favours, and it's blowing hard at 28 mph. The swell gets up to 6 ft from the NNW, but with a short period of just 6 seconds, it's sloppy and weak. The combined energy is only 207 (moderate). Still Saturday afternoon the wind picks up to a near gale, and the swell hits 7 ft. That's blown out, messy, and only for the diehards, if anyone.

Sunday the 5th is more of the same. The morning is clean and clear, but we've still got a fresh cross-onshore wind at 22 mph. Waves sit around 6 ft from the NNW, but the period is short and the energy is 226 (moderate). There's a chance Sunday afternoon the wind turns onshore, but at only 9 mph it might be a bit calmer—still, the quality is poor and the waves are lumpy.

Now, Monday the 6th we get a weird shift. The wind goes offshore and clean, but the swell drops right off. We're looking at 0.3 ft from the NW, with a tiny wave energy of just 11 – there's no power there. And that's the pattern for the next week and a half. We get tiny little pulses, 0.3 ft to 1 ft at best, all from the NW or NNW, with periods that wander but are mostly short and weak. The wind is often offshore and clean, but it's like trying to surf a puddle. Come Monday the 14th, we get a little puff of life: a 3 ft swell from the NNE, but it's only got a 4-second period, which is hopelessly short, and the cross-onshore wind messes it up.

The only real stand-out in this whole sorry forecast is that around Wednesday and Thursday the 9th and 10th of July, the wind goes strong offshore from the SE with gusts up to 25-28 mph. The water temperature is sitting at a normal 55°F for the time of year, so nothing weird there. But the swell is still only 0.3 ft from the NW with a very long period of 16 to 18 seconds. That's a groundswell, and those long-period waves at a beach break? They'll break too straight and be impossible to paddle into with that little height. You'd just be bobbing around.

All in all, there's no quality surf on offer. The only saving grace is that Te Ikaamaru Bay is fairly consistent, so it tends not to stay this flat for long. Forecasts can change, but right now you'd be better off finding something else to do. There's nothing that's worth a paddle.

Rusty

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