Waimea Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Waimea Rivermouth over the next couple of weeks. There’s a bit of a slow start, but once it kicks in, we’ve got a solid run of fun waves.

We kick off on Monday the 6th with a small, clean, but pretty marginal swell. It’s a south-southwest groundswell of about 3 ft with a long 15 second period. Water temp is sitting at a pleasant 79°, which is right on average for this time of year. The energy is moderate (409), but honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for. The real action starts on Tuesday the 7th. Tuesday morning is still that same 3 ft SSW groundswell, but it’s clean with a gentle cross-off breeze. The standout moment hits Tuesday afternoon. The swell jumps to a solid 6 ft from the east, with a short, punchy period of 8 seconds. The wind stays a gentle cross-off, and the energy is strong at 652. This is the best on offer in this whole outlook. It’s clean, it’s got push, and it’s very surfable for a range of abilities.

That east swell hangs around through Wednesday the 8th, holding at 6-6 ft. The wind stays light and cross-off, keeping things clean with very good conditions. The combined energy is in the strong range, between 520 and 554. By Thursday the 9th, the swell picks up to 7 ft, but the period drops to 7 seconds and it gets a little disorganized. The moderate cross-off keeps it clean, but the conditions are marginal. Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th are similar, with 5-6 ft east swell, same clean conditions, but nothing that quite matches the Tuesday peak. The crowd factor here is listed as “sometimes”, so you can expect company on those better days.

Sunday the 12th sees a drop in size back to 2 ft, but it switches to a very long period south-west swell (16 seconds). The energy is still strong (503), and it’s clean. A long-period groundswell like that will really shine at a spot like this rivermouth, offering well-shaped waves and long gaps between sets.

Looking into the second week, things stay interesting. Monday the 13th through Tuesday the 14th, the east swell returns, with 5-6 ft waves. Winds are light and cross-off, and the consistency is very good. The energy is strong again (572-594). This is a solid, reliable run of surf.

From the 15th onwards, it changes up. Wednesday the 15th has a clean 2 ft west groundswell at 15 seconds (energy 521), but the real highlight is the south-southwest groundswell on Thursday the 16th. It’s only 2 ft, but listen to this: a 17 second period. That’s very long period. The energy is moderate (321), and the light breeze keeps it glassy. It will be peeling nicely at the river mouth, but it’s definitely a glassy, small-wave session.

The following weekend, the 17th and 18th, gets sloppy. There’s a mix of small, short-period east swell and a risk of thunderstorms. The energy drops off significantly, hitting a low of 39 on Saturday morning. It’s not worth your time. The surf picks back up on Sunday the 19th with a 2-3 ft south groundswell (15-16 seconds, moderate to strong energy) and glassy conditions Monday the 20th. That Monday afternoon looks particularly good again, clean with 3 ft south swell and strong energy (504).

If you’re a beginner, stick to the smaller days under 5 ft, like the 2-3 ft days with the long period. The 6 ft to 7 ft days are fine for intermediates, but that 7 ft on Thursday the 9th is pushing it. There’s nothing here over 8 ft, so the experts won’t be blown away, but there’s plenty of fun to be had.

Overall, the clear standout is Tuesday the 7th afternoon and Wednesday the 8th. After that, the second week from Monday the 13th to Tuesday the 14th is another top-tier window. Don’t bother with the gap around the 17th and 18th, it’s a write-off.

Rusty.

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