Wharariki Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and look, I won't sugarcoat it – the next couple of weeks at Wharariki Beach are a bit of a mixed bag. We've got a serious run of dodgy conditions to get through before things clean up, so patience is the name of the game. The swell is gonna be there, but the wind is the real villain for the first week.

The window kicks off with a bit of a dud. Tuesday the 4th has some rain and a strong 19 mph ESE cross-off wind, but there's a solid 6ft W swell with a 14-second period, packing a huge amount of energy (1342). It's a big, powerful wave, but the conditions are marginal, and you'd be fighting it. Wednesday the 5th is a write-off, with a small, messy swell. Thursday the 6th is tiny, with a 1ft WSW swell, but the morning is glassy and clean – a total flat spell, but a beautiful one. The end of the first week, from Friday the 7th through Sunday the 9th, is all cross-onshore wind and messy, choppy conditions. There's some size again, especially a 7ft NW swell on Friday afternoon (886 energy), but it's blown out. Not worth your time.

Now, for the first real standout. Mark Monday the 10th on your calendar. The morning is looking sick: glassy, with an ESE breeze at just 3 mph. The swell is a clean 3ft from the west with a 16-second period. That's a long-period groundswell, and the energy is solid (697). It's a point-and-a-half of clean, lined-up surf. The afternoon is a little less clean, but still a good option. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year, so it's not too bad.

Then we hit another dry spell. Tuesday the 11th gets hammered by a strong 22 mph ESE wind, and the swell is small and wonky. The wind stays up through the middle of the week, and the waves are messy. A couple of days in the middle of the second week, like Thursday the 15th, see a solid 7ft W swell with a 19-second period and massive energy (2986), but it's cross-shore and choppy. That's a lot of water moving around, but it's not clean.

The real gem of the whole forecast is Sunday the 16th. The morning is absolute perfection: a 6ft W swell, 18-second period, and a light 6 mph SSE offshore wind. The energy is pumping at 2170, and it's clean. This is a serious, powerful groundswell – best for somewhere with a point or reef setup. Wharariki is exposed, so it could be a bit straight, but with offshore wind, it'll be a ripper. Then Monday the 17th morning is glassy again, with a 4ft W swell and 15-second period (627 energy). Another excellent, clean session.

After that, it blows out again. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are all strong winds and lumpy, unrideable conditions, even with plenty of swell energy. A real shame.

So, the standout is the Sunday the 16th morning session, with the Monday the 17th morning as a close second. The Monday the 10th morning is the best of the first week. The rest of the time, you're better off checking the forecast again or finding a new hobby.

Rusty.

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