Wharariki Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s the surf outlook for your local patch.

The next 16 days are a real mixed bag, with a solid burst of swell arriving early but getting blown out by strong winds, then a long stretch of small, ordinary conditions before a possible late return of size. The only real standout worth paddling out for is Tuesday the 4th of August, and even that has a catch.

Let’s start with Wharariki Beach. It’s exposed to the west, so it picks up the energy, but the wind loves to mess with it. The first couple of days are small and marginal. Saturday the 1st of August has a weak 5 ft west swell, period 12 seconds, with easterly cross-breeze – combined energy is moderate (658). Water temp is 57°, which is about normal for this time of year. Sunday the 2nd of August drops right off, clean but tiny.

Then Monday the 3rd of August kicks up a big 8 ft to 8 ft west swell, period 18 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell with heaps of grunt, combined energy is strong (3655 to 3924). But the wind is howling from the WSW at 28 to 31 mph, so it’s clean but blown out. Too big for beginners, and the onshore wind will make it ugly. Kite surfers might have a blast, but for paddle surfing it’s a pass.

The standout is Tuesday the 4th of August. The morning sets up clean with a 4 ft west swell, period 16 seconds, light SE cross-off breeze, and combined energy is moderate (889). That’s quality – the swell has shape, the wind is off, and the water’s still clean. Afternoon has a bigger 5 ft swell but the wind swings to NNE cross-on at 15 mph, so you want to be out early. Crowds are never an issue here, so you’ll have it to yourself.

After that, it drops off a cliff. From Wednesday the 5th of August right through to Thursday the 13th of August, it’s a prolonged flat spell with tiny swells – mostly under 3 ft – and weak energy, often under 300. The odd morning has clean conditions, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. A few days have cross-off or glassy wind, like Wednesday afternoon the 5th of August with 2 ft and glassy conditions, but it’s still ordinary.

Friday the 14th of August sees a bit of a pulse – 3 ft west swell, period 12 seconds, but the wind is strong from the west at 25 mph, making a mess. Then Saturday the 15th of August brings a bigger 6 ft to 7 ft west swell, period 14 seconds, with moderate cross-shore wind. Combined energy is strong (1463 to 2746), but the wind keeps it from being clean. The morning is the best bet, but it’s still marginal.

Sunday the 16th of August closes out with a 7 ft west swell, period 17 seconds, but the wind is NNE cross-on at 15 mph, so it’s choppy. Not worth it.

Honestly, the only session to lock in is Tuesday morning the 4th of August. The rest of the time, you’re either dealing with wind, tiny waves, or both. This part of the coast can be fickle, so don’t get too worked up about the long flat spell – forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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