Wanjapu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, let’s see what’s cooking at the only spot on the radar: Wanjapu. It’s a consistent, exposed reef break that loves a good SW swell and is strictly for the advanced crew. Water temp is bang on average for this time of year.

Right off the bat, the next few days are a bit of a bust. The wind is mostly crossing up the face and the ocean’s all mixed up. We’ve got some decent-sized swell, around 5ft on Sunday morning from the SSW, with a solid 15-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 1199. But that morning wind is a light cross-onshore at 3 mph, and it gets worse. The whole first week is a write-off for clean conditions. Real shame, because there’s a powerful groundswell pushing in.

Monday morning is more of the same: 4ft of SSW swell at 14 seconds, still cross and messy. Tuesday and Wednesday push up to 6ft and even 7ft on Wednesday afternoon, with the combined swell energy hitting 1990 – that’s some serious heavy water. But it’s all cross-shore and chopped out. Unless you’re after a beating, those days are only for experts who don’t mind the wind. Thursday is still big and messy.

Now, here’s a tiny glimmer. The forecast for Saturday, 11th July morning, shows the wind swinging to a cross-off from the ESE at 12 mph. The model’s calling it “clean”. The swell is still a decent 6ft from the SW, 15-second period, with strong energy at 1386. That might actually be the pick of the first ten days, but it’s still a marginal call. Crowds can pop up here sometimes, so you might see a few heads, but it’s the best of a rough bunch.

After that, the swell starts to drop. By Sunday, 12th July, it’s down to 4ft and the energy is weak (515). Monday the 13th sees it drop even further to 3ft. There’s a real dead patch from the afternoon of the 12th right through to the end of the third week. Nothing worth paddling out for, with scores bottoming out. The wind is either too strong or the swell too small and messy. A few days show poor surf conditions outright.

Then, right at the back end, on Monday, 20th July morning, we get a big spike: 6ft from the SSW, 18-second period – that’s proper long-period groundswell – and the combined energy is a massive 3073. That is a serious amount of water. But the wind is cross-shore from the SE at 12 mph, so it’s going to be lumpy. Score is only a 3. For a reef like Wanjapu, that long period could be incredible, but the wind is the big question mark. It’s the biggest pulse of the whole run, but it’s a long way out.

So, for the whole 16-day stretch, there’s no day I’d be rushing for. The best bet is probably the Saturday morning (11th July) for a slightly cleaner window, or maybe the very last Monday (20th July) if you can handle chop on a big day. For the rest, it’s either blown out or flat. If you’re a kiter, those windy days might be your thing, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a lean run.

Rusty.

Read more