Waimarama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Second text using imperial units

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a mixed bag coming up at Waimarama over the next couple of weeks. The next few days are pretty quiet, but there’s a real cracker of a window shaping up from the 17th onwards that’s got me keen. The water’s sitting at 55°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – no weirdness there.

The first real surf we see kicks off Saturday morning, the 11th. It’s a solid start, with a 6ft ESE groundswell, a very long 10-second period, and a clean offshore breeze from the SW. The energy’s moderate (733), and conditions are looking clean and lined up. Not a standout for the whole run, but a decent way to ease in. Saturday arvo the wind swings a bit cross-off, and the swell drops a touch to 6ft – still fun but not as crisp.

Sunday the 12th is a treat. Morning brings a clean 4ft ESE swell with a light offshore, and by the afternoon it goes glassy with a 4ft ESE swell and no wind at all. That’s the kind of clean, fun surf that’ll have you smiling. The energy is low (361 and 319), so it’s not powerful, but for a longboard or a funboard, it’s perfect.

Monday the 13th is where it starts to fall away. Morning is small and cross-off at 3ft, surfable but nothing special. The arvo is a write-off with onshore junk.

From Tuesday the 14th right through to Thursday the 16th, it’s a real dry spell. Tiny, choppy, cross-onshore slop – barely worth paddling out. There’s a patch of glassy, clean conditions on the 16th arvo with a small 3ft ESE swell and a very long 14-second period, but the energy is still low (214). It’s surfable, but it’s not going to get your heart racing.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Friday the 17th is the first real standout. The morning brings a 4ft ESE groundswell with a very long 15-second period and a clean offshore breeze. The energy jumps to a solid 707. By the arvo, it’s even better – 5ft ESE swell, still that 15-second period, and it goes totally glassy. The energy cranks up to 990. This is a proper session – clean, powerful, and long walls. This break is a consistent beach and reef setup, so those long-period swells will be wrapping nicely, though they might be a bit straight at the beach if you’re not on a point.

Saturday the 18th is the absolute peak. Morning is still pumping with a 5ft ESE swell at 14 seconds and clean cross-off wind (energy 946). Then the arvo arrives – 8ft of S swell at 8 seconds, clean and cross-off. The energy hits 1901 – strong and punchy. This is expert territory; it’s going to be powerful and hollow. If you’re a competent surfer, this is your window. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.

Sunday the 19th is a monster – 16ft SSW groundswell with a 15-second period. That’s huge. The energy reading of 17489 tells you it’s insane. This break is fairly exposed, but that size is going to be too big and chaotic for most. It’s a big-wave day for the brave only, and with a cross wind, it’s going to be messy.

Monday the 20th settles down to a much more manageable 7ft S swell at 12 seconds with a clean offshore. Energy’s still strong at 1351, and it’s excellent for experienced surfers.

After that, from Tuesday the 21st through to Sunday the 26th, it’s a long run of poor conditions. The swell hangs around but the wind is cross or cross-onshore pretty much the whole time, making a mess of things. There are some big swells in that period, but they’re blown out or simply too big for this spot. The 25th and 26th see 13ft+ ENE swell with onshore winds – that’s a no-go for surfing, but it’d be a fun spectacle.

So, bottom line: if you’ve got a window, target the 17th and 18th. That’s your best bet. The 19th is for the extreme crew only. Everything else is either small, blown out, or too big.

Rusty.

Read more