Te Ikaamaru Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and I’ve got to be straight with you: it’s looking pretty damn bleak for a proper paddle. We’ve got a 16-day window, but honestly, there’s not a single day that I’d call a good surf option. Not one. The finder is showing a flat, blank run, which is a bit more normal for this stretch of coast, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.

Starting off this Saturday the 8th, we’ve got a tiny 3ft of slop out of the NNW with a weak 5-second period. The wind is a cross-onshore 16 mph, and the water is 55°, which is about average for this time of year. The energy is weak, only sitting at 33, and it’s just choppy, messy, and completely unrideable. Honestly, you’d be better off staying home.

Sunday the 9th shows a touch more size, pushing to 5ft, but it’s still a short-period, wind-blown mess. The morning has moderate rain and a cross-on wind, and the energy jumps to 232, but it’s all chop. The afternoon picks up a 25 mph onshore wind, which just destroys any hope. Monday the 10th cleans up a bit with a cross-off breeze, but the swell drops back to 3ft and 2ft, with energy at 162 and 68. The period is a bit better at 9 seconds, but the waves are still small and weak, and the “poor surf conditions” tag is all over it.

The rest of the first week is a write-off. Tuesday the 11th barely has a pulse, with 0.7ft of swell and energy down to 6. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th are the same story – small, onshore, and choppy. Friday the 14th has a bit more push at 3ft but it’s all short-period windswell with a cross-on wind. We’re looking at a solid stretch of nothing from the 11th through the 15th.

Now, there’s a tiny glimmer on Saturday the 15th – the wind goes offshore, and it’s clean, but the swell is only 4ft and the period is a pathetic 4 seconds. The energy is at 54. It looks pretty, but there’s just no power behind it. You might get a few ankle-biters if you’re desperate.

Then we hit a proper dead zone. From the 16th through the 21st, there’s essentially nothing. The 16th has a 16-second period but only 0.3ft of swell – that’s not a wave, that’s a ripple. The 18th has a near gale-force wind, and the 19th and 20th show flat, zero-energy conditions. This is a long, dry spell.

Finally, at the very end of the window, the 22nd and 23rd show a little pulse of life, but it’s still tiny. The 22nd has 2ft and the 23rd has 0.3ft, both with clean, cross-off winds but no size or energy whatsoever.

So, here’s the deal. If you’ve got a kite, this stretch might be more interesting than for a surfboard, because the wind is blowing strong and steady for a lot of it. But for paddle surfing, there’s just nothing on the cards. The swell direction is all over the place, and the periods are either too short to hold up or too long with no size to back them up. It’s a tough run, but that’s the coast for you sometimes. Forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long, so keep an eye on it. But for now, I’d be looking at other hobbies for the next couple of weeks.

Rusty.

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