Wainui Bay Chalet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our little stretch of coast. We’ve got a 16-day window, and it’s a real mixed bag with some serious patience required. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is about 1° cooler than usual for this time of year – just a touch on the nippy side, not a massive anomaly, but you’ll feel it.

We’re kicking off on Friday the 4th of September at Wainui Bay Chalet. It’s tiny with a 1ft SSE swell, a period of 10 seconds, and a light offshore. The energy is weak (49), but it’s clean and surfable. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s a start. Saturday the 5th looks flat and messy, so don’t bother. Sunday the 6th brings a bit more shape in the morning with a 2ft SSE swell but the same weak energy (71); the afternoon goes even smaller.

Monday and Tuesday are largely a write-off – tiny, weak, and patchy conditions. Then on Wednesday the 9th of September, things get a real kick. We see a jump to a 7ft SSW swell, but the period is a short 10 seconds, so it’s a bit messy and choppy on the cross-onshore wind. The energy is moderate (952), but it’s not clean.

Thursday the 10th offers a little reprieve. A 2ft SSE swell with a gentle offshore, and then in the afternoon the wind goes glassy. That’s the standout in this first week – a 2ft SSE swell (55 energy) with absolutely no wind. Clean as a whistle, but you’ll need a log for those tiny wave faces.

The second week gets wild but ruined. Friday the 11th through Sunday the 13th of September sees a jump in size, but it’s accompanied by strong to near-gale winds. The 8ft SSE swell on the 11th has massive energy (1078), but it’s blown out and dangerous. The 5ft swell on Sunday the 13th has a very long period of 17 seconds and huge energy (1064), but again, the cross-onshore wind makes it a mess.

The standout for the entire outlook falls on Wednesday the 16th of September. The forecast shows a solid 8ft SSE swell with a long 12-second period and a massive energy reading of 2872. The wind is moderate cross-onshore, and the file mentions the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is expert territory only. If you’re a seasoned charger and you know this spot, that raw power is incredible. For everyone else, it’s a spectator day.

Thursday the 17th of September morning is interesting too – a 7ft SSE swell (1977 energy) with a very long 14-second period and light air – clean conditions. Again, that’s a big, powerful swell, better suited for a point or reef than this beach break, as it will be breaking straight. The following weekend (19th) shows another big 8ft S swell (1416 energy) with clean offshore winds in the morning, once again potentially too big for comfortable paddle surfing.

Best on offer: If you’re an expert, get on Wednesday the 16th of September for the biggest, meanest swell of the window. For everyone else looking for a window of clean, manageable waves, the Thursday the 10th of September glass-off is the quiet, clean winner. The rest of the period is either too small, too windy, or too big.

Rusty.

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