Wainui Beach - Schools Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, ol’ mate Rusty here, and we’ve got a look at the surf ahead for the next couple of weeks down at Wainui Beach - Schools. Now, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s get into it, day by day.

The forecast kicks off on Wednesday, July 8th, but to be honest, it’s a flat start. Nothing worth paddling out for initially. The real action starts building from the later part of the first week and into the second, with a few solid windows of opportunity.

Wednesday, July 8th, is a no-go. We’ve got a 5 ft ESE swell, but with a cross-shore wind, it’s looking pretty average and messy. The energy is weak (549), so it’s not worth getting wet over.

The next few days, through Thursday, July 9th to Saturday, July 11th, are all write-offs. The swell jumps up, but the wind turns nasty with strong cross-onshore flow and rain. The wave energy gets huge, over 1,000 and even up to 3,179 on the Thursday afternoon, but it’s all just wind-blown, lumpy, and messy. A total loss for a surfer.

We finally get a break in the clouds on Sunday, July 12th. This is where it gets interesting. The morning session is looking mint. We score a 5 ft swell from the ESE, but the real magic is the wind: it’s glassy. Dead calm. The wave energy is moderate (457), but with that wind, the face should be pristine. This is a standout for clean, cruisy waves. The water temp is about 57° with a near-normal anomaly, so it’s average for the time of year.

Monday, July 13th and Tuesday, July 14th keep the run going with smaller surf, around 2 ft to 3 ft, but with clean conditions, light offshore, and glassy periods. It’s small, but super clean if you’ve got a longboard.

Heading into the second week, Wednesday, July 15th brings a 4 ft ESE swell but with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, which will wrap into the beach-reef setup. The wind stays light. It’s a bit of a trickier tide situation, but the quality is there.

The real highlight for experienced surfers is Thursday, July 16th. The morning shows a solid 6 ft ESE swell with a long 14-second period. The wind is light and cross-off, the energy is strong (1,438), and the reports say it’s excellent. This is the best of the run, but with that size, it’s one for the advanced crew only. Afternoon sees the wind swing onshore, so get on it early.

Friday, July 17th keeps the goods coming with a 5 ft ESE swell and clean, offshore winds in the morning. Very good surf conditions, consistent, and the energy is solid (742). A close second to Thursday for quality.

After that, the wind comes up again from Saturday, July 18th into Monday, July 20th. Saturday has a 5 ft ESE swell, but it’s shredded by a strong cross-shore wind, making it lumpy. Sunday the 19th sees the wind turn onshore with a bigger S swell, messy. Monday the 20th has a 8 ft S swell that’s too big for the break and the winds are wrong.

Tuesday, July 21st through Thursday, July 23rd, we’re looking at serious size. Swells are between 8 ft and 13 ft, with very strong wave energy (over 3,000 and up to 5,946). This is big, powerful stuff. The winds are mostly cross or cross-on, so it’s messy, and the size makes it dangerous for anyone but absolute experts. It’s a case of “look but don’t paddle.”

So, to sum up: The standout is the Sunday, July 12th morning for the glassy, clean 5 ft swell. The other big call is the Thursday, July 16th morning for the bigger, powerful 6 ft groundswell with excellent conditions for advanced surfers. The gaps in between are filled with small, clean days, or wind-blown slop.

Alright, that’s the story from here. Keep your eyes on the horizon, and I’ll see you in the water.
Rusty

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