Waimarama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Waimarama.

We’ve got a bit of a wild ride ahead over these sixteen days. The week starts solid but messy, then cleans right up for a couple of absolute crackers in the second week. There’s a big gap of pretty ordinary stuff in between, so patience is the name of the game.

Kicking off Wednesday the 8th of July morning, we’ve got a 8 ft swell from the ESE at 10 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 1108 (that’s moderate energy for those keeping score). The water’s sitting at 56°, which is about 2° cooler than average, so normal for the time of year. The WSW winds are cross-off and light, making for clean, workable waves. This is a decent opener, especially for a beach and reef set-up that’s fairly exposed to this easterly direction. The afternoon gets a bit stronger with a SSW offshore at 18 mph, but the swell drops to 7 ft. It’s still surfable but a bit more of a handful.

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th are no-go zones. Thursday sees the swell jump to a punishing 15 ft to 16 ft, with howling 34 mph winds making it completely blown out. That’s way too much for all but the most experienced, and even then, the conditions are poor. Friday’s still too big at 12 ft with strong winds. This is kite-surf territory, not paddle.

Saturday the 11th of July morning is where it starts to turn. The swell has dropped back to a manageable 7 ft from the ESE, and we’ve got a clean offshore wind from the SSW. The combined energy is 918 (still moderate), and the waves are looking tidy. This is a good, solid surf day with clean conditions. Sunday the 12th morning is smaller again, 5 ft, with almost no wind, but the afternoon turns onshore. It’s a nice morning session.

Then we hit a flat spell. From Monday the 13th right through to Wednesday the 15th, the swell is tiny – under 3 ft – and the energy is weak, down around the 100-200 mark. It’s just not worth paddling out. Thursday the 16th morning sees a new, clean swell arrive: 7 ft from the ESE with a very long period of 15 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 2126 (strong energy), and it’s glassy at dawn. This is groundswell, so it’ll wrap nicely around the point there and set up some beautiful lines. An absolute standout for experienced surfers.

Friday the 17th of July morning is the pick of the whole forecast. 8 ft of SE swell at 13 seconds, combined energy of 3589 (very strong), and the conditions are glassy. That’s a magic combination for a point break. This one’s for the experienced crew – it’s solid, powerful, and shifty. The crowds are likely here, but that’s the price you pay for perfection. Saturday the 18th morning is another beauty: 7 ft at 14 seconds from the ESE, glassy again, and energy at 1439. The runs will be long and clean. The afternoons do get a bit onshore, so get out early.

The last few days, from Sunday the 19th through to Wednesday the 23rd of July, fade away. The swell stays between 5 ft and 12 ft, but the winds are all onshore, blowing from the NE, and picking up to 25 mph. It’s messy, lumpy, and not worth it. The energy is moderate but the quality is gone. That’s a solid six days of poor conditions to end the run.

Keep your eyes on the 17th and 18th for dawn patrol – those are the sessions you’ll remember.

Rusty.

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