Wainui Bay Chalet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the Wainui Bay Chalet area. The forecast is a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of ordinary days to get through before we see any real quality. We’ve got energy coming through, but it’s the wind that’s going to be the main player for most of this run.

The water temp here is sitting around 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 2° cooler, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit, no doubt.

We kick off on Wednesday the 12th with poor conditions. A light cross breeze on the morning with a small 3 ft SE swell, but the energy is weak (139). The afternoon turns into a mess with a moderate cross-chop and a 4 ft SE swell, period around 11 seconds, but it’s not worth paddling out for. The combined energy jumps to 403, but it’s rough.

Thursday the 13th is much the same story. Light rain both sessions, a moderate cross-off breeze on the morning gives us a clean-ish 3 ft SSE swell, but the energy is low (193). The afternoon goes cross-shore again, dropping to 3 ft and 129 energy. Still poor.

Friday the 14th is the first real glimmer. The morning looks glassy with a light NW breeze, and a 4 ft E swell with a short period of 7 seconds. The energy is only 135, so it’s surfable but very ordinary. It’s clean, but not much push. The afternoon gets messy again.

Saturday the 15th morning is similar – glassy conditions with a 4 ft E swell, period 8 seconds, energy 176. It’s clean and rideable, but again, nothing to write home about. The afternoon goes cross-on and choppy.

Right, now we get into the bigger stuff. Sunday the 16th is a no-go. Strong cross-onshore winds, well over 25 mph, with a 8 ft SSE swell. The energy is huge (1103-1186), but it’s just a lumpy mess. Not for paddle surfing.

Monday the 17th is more of the same – fresh cross-shore winds, a 8 ft S swell with 8-second period, and energy over 1500 in the afternoon. The swell is too big for this break, it’s predicted to be too big for comfort. Look elsewhere.

Tuesday the 18th morning cleans up a bit. A moderate cross-off breeze, 3 ft SSE swell, period 9 seconds, energy 270. It’s marginal, but it’s clean. The afternoon goes back to lumpy.

Now, the big one. Wednesday the 19th is a monster. A massive 18 ft S swell with a 15-second period hits in the morning. The combined energy is astronomical (18320). The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but this is way too big for anyone but experts. The afternoon stays huge at 16 ft and 16 seconds. This is a serious groundswell event, and at a beach break it’s going to be a closeout and very dangerous. Only for the most experienced.

Thursday the 20th is the standout. The morning is clean with a light WNW cross-off breeze, a 6 ft SSE swell, and a long 13-second period. The energy is 1321, which is strong. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The swell direction is a solid SSE, which matches the optimum. The waves will have good shape, and the longer period means more energy. The afternoon goes onshore, so the morning is the window.

Friday the 21st is another good one. Morning clean with a light N cross-off, 5 ft SSE swell, 11-second period, energy 512. Expect very good surf conditions. The afternoon is a bit breezier but still clean.

Saturday the 22nd morning is a treat – offshore wind from the NNW, light breeze, 4 ft SSE swell with a very long 15-second period. Energy 729. This is a proper groundswell. The afternoon goes cross-shore.

After that, it fades out. Sunday the 23rd onwards sees the swell drop right off, with small weak waves and onshore winds through to the end of the forecast period on the 27th. The energy drops to below 100 for most of it, so it’s back to flat or near-flat conditions.

So, the best on offer is the morning of Thursday the 20th of August – that’s the one to circle. The 6 ft SSE groundswell with clean offshore winds and strong energy is as good as it gets in this run. The morning of Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd are also solid, but that Thursday morning is the standout.

Rusty.

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