Wainui Bay Chalet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Wainui Bay Chalet has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, things are looking pretty flat and ordinary. We’ve got a few days of small, weak surf ahead with not much to get excited about. The water temperature is sitting at 56°, which is just a touch below the norm for this time of year – nothing too unusual.

The weekend starts off sluggish. Saturday the 29th is seeing a small 2ft SE swell with a solid 12-second period, but the wind is coming from the north as a cross-off, and the energy is weak (137). The conditions are reported as poor, so not worth the paddle. Sunday the 30th looks even smaller – 2ft and 1ft SE swells – but Sunday morning has a brief moment of glassy conditions (zero wind) with very low energy (91). It’s surfable, but super ordinary. Monday the 31st picks up a little: a 2ft SSE swell in the morning (17-second period, energy of 267) with cross-off westerly winds, and the call is for “good surf conditions” – a promising start. The afternoon sees a 3ft SSE swell (15-second period, energy of 476), but the wind turns cross-on, so it gets messy. Still, it’s a step up.

Tuesday the 1st of September brings a jump in size – a 4ft SSE swell in the morning (13-second period, energy 547) – but strong cross-on southerly winds (25 km/h) spoil it. The afternoon is bigger at 6ft from the south (9-second period, energy 1222) but with cross-shore winds and rain, making it a chop-fest. Not the day for it.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 2nd of September is the standout. The morning serves up a clean 7ft SSE groundswell with a long 14-second period and a strong energy of 1409. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 15 km/h, creating clean, lined-up waves. This is “excellent surf for experienced surfers” – and at 7ft, it’s getting into the range where beginners should sit it out. The swell direction from SSE matches the optimum for this break. Crowds might show up, since it’s a consistent spot. Thursday the 3rd keeps things going with a smaller but still very clean 5ft SSE swell in the morning (14-second period, energy 799, offshore WNW wind 25 km/h) – expect very good waves. Thursday afternoon drops to a 3ft and stays offshore and clean (energy 338).

After that, the size fades. Friday the 4th is small (2ft to 1ft) and clean, but ordinary. Saturday the 5th of September has a brief window: a 4ft SSE swell (9-second period, energy 213) with glassy winds in the morning – good potential, but the afternoon gets ruined by a strong cross-shore wind. Sunday the 6th stays small and clean but weak.

The second week is a mixed bag. Monday the 7th is small with a tricky 1.0ft swell (18-second period, energy 84) and glassy winds in the afternoon – long period but tiny. The rest of the week is mostly small and ordinary, but keep an eye on Thursday the 10th. The morning brings a 6ft SSW swell (7-second period, energy 453) with cross-off winds. The afternoon, however, sees a massive 8ft SSE groundswell (15-second period, energy 3497) with offshore WNW winds. The data says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, and at over 8ft, that’s expert territory only – and likely a washing machine. The southwesterly wind on Friday the 11th (30 km/h) and Saturday the 12th (20 km/h) makes for poor, choppy conditions.

So, if you’re a competent surfer, Wednesday the 2nd of September morning is your best bet – clean, solid 7ft offshore waves. Thursday the 3rd is also a very good backup. For the second week, the morning of Thursday the 10th is promising but less reliable. If you’re a beginner, skip the big days and look at the smaller, glassy window on Saturday the 5th morning.

Rusty out.

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