Waiwakaiho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s get into it.

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got one spot that’s the main player for the whole 16-day run: Waiwakaiho. There’s a gap before the first surf kicks off, with nothing noteworthy until Tuesday morning the 18th of August.

The best of the whole window is Tuesday the 18th. The morning session at Waiwakaiho is a real standout. You’re looking at a clean 5ft swell out of the WSW with a 14-second period. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is about average for this time of year – no real anomaly there. The wind is a light 6 mph from the south, so it’s cross-offshore, leaving the lines tidy. The combined energy is moderate (866), and the waves are set to be very good. The afternoon holds up too, with 6ft from the same direction and a 13-second period, though the cross-off wind picks up a touch to 9 mph. It’s still very good surf, but the morning is the pick.

Wednesday the 19th morning is another beauty. The swell drops to 5ft but the wind swings to SSE at 9 mph, putting it fully offshore. That’s clean, groomed lines. The period is 11 seconds, and the wave energy is moderate (1052). The afternoon, however, sees the swell back off to 4ft with a long 16-second period, but the wind turns cross-off. It’s a bit marginal, but still decent.

Thursday the 20th morning is a moment of pure magic: glassy conditions with zero wind, and a 5ft WSW swell at 14 seconds. That’s about as clean as it gets. The energy is moderate (996). The afternoon goes downhill fast as the wind swings west at 12 mph, cross-onshore, making for choppy surf.

After Thursday arvo, it’s a write-off for a long stretch. Friday the 21st is poor with cross-onshore winds and messy waves. Saturday the 22nd is worse – choppy and onshore. Sunday the 23rd gets big and ugly: 8ft to 10ft of WSW swell, but with a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore wind, it’s lumpy and dangerous. The energy is strong (1461 to 1920), but that’s just for the kite crew, not for paddle surfing.

Monday the 24th keeps the big, messy theme: 10ft swell but cross-onshore winds. Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th are still poor, with big swell and choppy winds. Thursday the 27th is a total washout with rain and strong cross-onshore winds.

Finally, we get a glimpse of hope again on Friday the 28th. The morning session shows a glassy 5ft WSW swell with a 12-second period and a slight air. The energy is moderate (625). That’s a clean, fun wave again. The afternoon is good too, with 4ft and clean cross-off conditions.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are small and weak – Saturday has a 2ft and 1ft, Sunday has 2ft. But Sunday morning has a moderate offshore wind, which at least makes it clean.

Monday the 31st sees a new pulse of short-period 7ft to 8ft NNW swell, but it’s cross-onshore and messy. Tuesday the 1st of September is another big, windy mess with 12ft swell and onshore winds. Wednesday the 2nd is still poor.

So, to wrap it up: the clear standout is Tuesday the 18th of August, morning session at Waiwakaiho. Glassy, clean, 5ft of WSW groundswell with light cross-off winds. That’s the one to pencil in. Thursday morning the 20th is another gem with glassy conditions, and Friday the 28th morning offers a return to clean, surfable waves. The rest is either choppy, too big and windy, or just flat.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, because things can change, but for now the first half of this week is where it’s at.

Rusty.

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