Waihee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Waihee and honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a grind. We’ve got a solid run of cross-onshore winds that are going to keep things messy and lumpy for most of the stretch. The good news is there’s a little window of clean surf that’ll make it all worth it, but you’ve gotta be patient.

The first few days are pretty ordinary. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are showing poor surf conditions with a fresh cross-onshore breeze ruining the shape. Swell sits around 5 ft to 7 ft with a short period of 7 to 8 seconds – weak, choppy energy. Not worth paddling out.

Friday the 4th is a bit of a tease. The morning sees a smaller 4 ft swell but with a long period of 14 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 739 (moderate). The afternoon though, the swell jumps to 7 ft with the same 14-second period and energy rockets to 1529 (strong). But the wind is still cross-on from the ENE, so it’s all messy. Still, the energy is there. Saturday the 5th continues with similar energy – 6 ft to 7 ft, 13 to 14 seconds, energy in the 1213 to 1452 range – but the wind stays cross-on, keeping it marginal at best.

Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th are more of the same: cross-on wind, choppy, and the swell sits around 6 ft to 7 ft with periods of 12 to 13 seconds. Energy is strong (991 to 1330), but the wind is just not letting up.

Now, here’s the standout. Tuesday the 8th. The wind finally swings around to a light SE and S breeze, turning cross-offshore. The swell drops a touch to 6 ft from the ENE with a period of 10 to 11 seconds, and combined energy sits at 695 to 810 (moderate). But the key here is the wind state – it’s clean. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is your best chance. Waihee is a reef and point break, so that long-period groundswell from the ENE will wrap in nicely, offering proper shaped waves. It’s an intermediate break, and with the light cross-off wind, it’ll be glassy and fun. Just be aware that crowds are possible – it’s a spot that can get busy.

From Wednesday the 9th onwards, it’s back to the same old story. The cross-on wind from the ENE returns, and the surf quality drops. The swell stays in the 5 ft to 7 ft range through the middle of the month, with periods varying from 7 seconds up to 14 seconds, but the energy is mostly moderate to strong (400 to 1840). The wind keeps it poor. There’s a couple of days around the 12th and 13th where the wind eases to a light breeze, but it’s still cross-on, so you’ll only get small wind ripples and marginal conditions.

The second week gets a bit weaker. By the 14th and 15th, the swell drops to 3 ft to 4 ft with periods of 8 to 9 seconds, and energy is weak (137 to 195). Not much happening. The 16th and 17th see a bit of a bump back up to 6 ft to 7 ft, but the wind is still cross-on, so it’s all chop.

Water temperature is sitting at 80°F with an anomaly of -0.2°, so it’s pretty much average for this time of year – no surprises there.

To sum it up: the best window is Tuesday the 8th. That’s the day to get out there. The rest of the period is a waiting game or a kite session if you’re into that. The consistent cross-onshore wind and solid swell energy will have kite surfers licking their lips, especially on the bigger days, but for a paddle surfer, it’s mostly a write-off until that Tuesday.

Rusty.

Read more