Wainui Bay Chalet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right from the get-go, Wainui Bay Chalet is looking like it’s going to take a beating before it gives us anything good. The water’s sitting at 56°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – gotta break out the thicker rubber.

Wednesday the 19th is a write-off. We’ve got a solid 10ft of south-southeast groundswell, but that 25 mph cross-on wind from the southwest is going to make it an absolute washing machine. The energy is strong (2936), but it’s just messy, raw power. In the afternoon, it jumps to 12ft (4994 energy), but it’s still cross-shore and lumpy. Way too big for this place and blown out.

Thursday the 20th drops down to 6ft, but the wind is still all over the shop, coming cross and cross-on. Choppy and poor. Just not worth the paddle out.

Friday the 21st is where it starts to turn. The swell drops right away to a clean 2ft in the morning with a light, offshore northwest wind. There’s a long 16-second period on it, and the conditions are clean. It’s small, but glassy. The afternoon gets a bit more size at 3ft, but the wind turns cross-shore, so it’s not as good.

Over the weekend and into next week, it’s all small stuff. Saturday the 22nd has clean, offshore conditions but only 3ft of swell on offer. Sunday through Tuesday are the same story – small, clean, but very ordinary waves. The energy is weak, dropping below 100 at times. Tuesday the 25th afternoon is glassy with a 2ft south-southeast groundswell, but again, it’s not going to get the heart pumping.

The first week of this forecast is just not happening. There’s a stretch of days – from around the 23rd to the 27th – where there’s very little to recommend, just those tiny, clean but gutless waves. We’re looking at a real lull.

Now, here’s the glimmer. The one standout in this whole 16-day window is the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September. We’ve got a 4ft south-southeast groundswell with a 16-second period, and the conditions are set to be glassy with light winds. The energy is moderate (666), and it’s forecast to be very good. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a bit off, so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but that’s the one that has proper potential for clean, lined-up waves. The afternoon backs off a touch and gets a bit of cross-on breeze, so get in early.

For that main highlight, the waves are coming from the SSE, and it’s an exposed spot, so it should pick it up. It’s an intermediate wave, and while the winds look good, you’re not alone out there – crowds are sometimes a factor, so pick your peak.

So, the plan: sit tight for the next week and a half, maybe get some small, clean sessions in if you’re desperate, but save your energy for that Thursday the 3rd. That’s the one.

Rusty

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