Te Ikaamaru Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’. We’re starting from Monday the 24th of August, and to be honest, the first week is a bit of a write-off for any decent waves at Te Ikaamaru Bay.

The pattern for the next few days is pretty grim. Strong onshore winds are blowing, and the swell that's there is a messy mix of short-period windswell. Monday the 24th has a tiny 1ft NW swell (16-second period) but it’s getting smashed by a cross-on breeze, leaving the water choppy. The combined wave energy is weak at just 66. Tuesday the 25th sees the swell bump up to 5ft (6 seconds) with NW wind howling onshore, creating poor conditions and moderate energy (140). This trend of onshore wind and poor surf continues right through Thursday the 27th, though Thursday morning goes glassy with a tiny 2ft swell – not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 28th gets ugly. By afternoon we’re looking at a gale force cross-onshore wind and a blown-out 10ft swell. That’s strong wave energy (930), but unless you’re a madman, this is a kite-surfing show, not a paddle-surfing one. The weekend (29th-30th) stays windy and junky.

Now, after a long, poor stretch, we finally see a glimmer. On Monday the 31st of August, the morning session looks like the standout of this whole outlook. The wind goes glassy – dead calm – and we get a clean 6ft swell from the NW with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is a solid 284, which is moderate. The wind is light (5 km/h from the NNE), and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” For Te Ikaamaru Bay, a beginner spot that’s fairly consistent, this is your window. The water temp is about average for this time of year at 53°F.

After that, it's back to the struggle. Tuesday the 1st of September has no swell, and Wednesday the 2nd brings more onshore gales with a 7ft NW swell that’s blown out (energy 347). Thursday and Friday clean up a little, but the real gem is Friday the 4th of September in the afternoon. The wind goes cross-off from the east at a light 10 km/h, the swell is a very solid 8ft from the NW (7 seconds), and the wave energy is high at 670. The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is only for experts though, as 8ft is getting big. The wind is clean, offering up some proper walls.

After that, the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September sees the swell backs off, with periods of fresh onshore winds returning. There are no other true standouts in the second week. The long-range promise for Friday the 4th is a big one, but we’ll have to see how it tracks.

So, to wrap it up: The first week is mostly a washout with strong winds. Your one true standouts are Monday morning the 31st of August for some clean, glassy beginner-friendly waves, and Friday afternoon the 4th of September for a bigger, cleaner, expert-only session. Stay tuned, forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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