Tutaekuri River Mouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Tutaekuri River Mouth is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, quiet stretch before any real size shows up, so patience is the name of the game.

The water’s sitting at 55°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget the wetsuit.

The first real chance to get wet kicks off on Saturday afternoon, 18 July. It’s the standout of the whole period, and it’s a beauty. We’ve got a clean 3ft swell rolling in from the ESE with a solid 14-second period, giving it some real push. The wind is glassy out of the ENE at just 3 mph, so the surface will be butter-smooth. The combined wave energy is moderate (373). This is about as good as it gets for this break – a proper little window of clean, fun surf. But heads up, crowds are possible here, so get in early.

The next morning, Sunday 19 July, still has some life. The swell drops to 3ft from the ESE, period still nice at 13 seconds, and the wind switches to a light offshore from the W at 6 mph. That’s clean (195 energy). It’s a good follow-up session, but the quality is a step down from Saturday. After that, from Sunday afternoon right through to the end of July, it’s a long grind of small, weak, and often wind-affected surf. You’ll see a few mornings with glassy or offshore conditions, but the swell is tiny – 0.7ft to 2ft – with low energy (down to 13). It’s more of a longboard or even a paddle situation than a proper surf.

We get a bit of a pulse around Sunday 26 July and into Monday 27 July. The swell bumps up to 3ft – 6ft from the SE and ESE, with period around 8-9 seconds. The energy gets moderate to strong (287–581). But the wind is a moderate cross-off, and the wave comment flags it as marginal. The size is there, but it’s not clean or organised – more of a messy, choppy affair. For a river bar/beach setup, this kind of short-period, mid-size swell with cross-off wind can be a bit of a handful. It might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.

Then we hit Wednesday 29 July morning – another brief highlight. The swell drops to 3ft from the E, period 10 seconds, and we get a light offshore from the WSW at 6 mph. The energy is moderate (265), and the conditions are clean. It’s a solid, surfable morning, but nothing like that first Saturday.

The rest of the forecast into early August is a slow fade: small swells, mostly poor conditions, and very low energy. The second week is pretty barren.

So, to sum it up: your best bet is Saturday 18 July afternoon – that’s the one. The Sunday morning session is the backup. After that, it’s a long wait for anything worth getting excited about. The long-range pulse around the 26th-27th has size, but it’s messy and not the clean, fun surf we’re after. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, because a run like this can change, but for now, pick your moment carefully.

Rusty.

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