Waihee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a good scan over the next 16 days for this region, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough run. The wind is pretty much stuck in a cross-on pattern the whole way through, which is a real shame because the swell actually tries to show up in the second week. But with that wind direction, it’s just going to be choppy and messy. There’s no standout day here; it’s a long stretch of “poor surf conditions” from now until the end.

We kick off on Monday the 17th of August at Waihee, a reef and point setup that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the swell. The water temp is about average for this time of year. The morning has a bit of swell at 5 ft from the ENE with a short period of 8 seconds, but with an ENE wind at 16 mph blowing cross-on, it’s already chopped out. The energy is weak (235). Afternoon is the same story: 5 ft from the ENE, 7-second period, still cross-on at 12 mph, and poor surf. Tuesday the 18th sees the swell drop to 4 ft, period still short (6-8 seconds), and that cross-on wind keeps the surface ugly. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are tiny, with swell down to 2-3 ft and light wind, but still cross-on – it’s just not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 21st through to Monday the 24th of August: the swell fluctuates between 3 ft and 5 ft, always from the ENE or E, with periods stuck under 8 seconds. The wind stays cross-on from the ENE at 9-16 mph, keeping the waves messy. The energy climbs a bit, on Sunday the 23rd it hits 350 – moderate energy – but the quality is still poor. This is a beach-and-reef setup, and with this cross-onshore chop, it honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than a paddle session.

Now, the second week gets a bit more interesting in size, but still no good wind. Tuesday the 25th of August sees the swell pump up to 6 ft from the ENE (8-second period), energy jumping to 451 (moderate), but it’s still cross-on at 12 mph – poor conditions. Wednesday the 26th keeps that at 6-7 ft, same story.

Then on Thursday the 27th of August, we get the biggest push: a 8 ft swell from the E in the morning, swinging to 10 ft in the afternoon, with the period stretching to 11-12 seconds. The energy is very strong (1738 in the morning, 2482 in the afternoon). This is a long-period groundswell. At a reef and point like Waihee, that could mean good shape and power, and it’ll be best here rather than a beach break. BUT – and this is a big but – the wind is still cross-on from the ENE at 9-12 mph, making it choppy and ugly. The guidance gives it a marginal rating, so the swell is there but the wind ruins it. At 10 ft, it’s only for experts anyway, and likely a messy close-out. Friday the 28th holds at 10 ft from the ENE, period 11 seconds, energy over 2000, but again, cross-on wind means poor conditions.

Saturday the 29th of August drops to 7 ft from the NE, then 6 ft from the NNE, period 10 seconds, still cross-on at 16 mph. Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st see the swell fade to 3-7 ft, but the wind never lets up.

There’s a gap in quality from the start right through until the 27th, a solid 10 days of no recommendations. The only faint glimmer is the 27th and 28th for the swell size, but with that cross-on wind, it’s not a true standout. If the wind had been offshore, Thursday the 27th would be the day – 10 ft of long-period E swell at Waihee would be pumping. But as it stands, I’d wait for the forecasts to change. Surf’s been poor here for a while, but it tends not to stay this way forever.

Rusty.

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