Whakatane Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s stare at the charts for a while and figure out what the ocean’s got for us over the next couple of weeks at Whakatane Heads.

Gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Whakatane Heads is a long, flat, and mostly disappointing run. We’re looking at a grim stretch of tiny, weak waves or poor conditions for the vast majority of the 16-day window. The first bit of surf that’s even worth mentioning doesn’t actually pop up until the final days of the first week, and even then it’s a sad affair.

Tuesday the 25th through to Saturday the 30th of August is just a write-off. The swell is barely there – we’re talking 0.3 ft to 7 ft at best, but the combined energy is laughable at only 8 to 53 on the weak days, and even when it jumps up to 411 on the 29th, the wind is howling onshore from the NNW. That 7 ft on Saturday afternoon looks big, but with that onshore wind, it’s going to be a choppy, blown-out mess that’s only for the hardcore or the experts. Honestly, that setup with the strong wind and beach-and-reef bottom looks more like a kite-surfing session than a paddle session.

The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is 3° colder than normal for this time of year – a bit nippy for a dip, a bit chilly for waiting around on your board.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st are the first flickers of hope. On Sunday morning we get a clean-ish 4 ft swell from the north with a 7-second period and a cross-shore wind (combined energy of 148). It’s not great, but it’s rideable. Monday the 31st is actually our first real standout. The best of a bad lot. Monday morning brings a clean 2 ft NE swell with an offshore wind from the south (12 mph) and a solid 8-second period (combined energy of 77). Monday afternoon is even cleaner – 2 ft from the NNE, with a light offshore breeze and a 10-second period (combined energy of 62). It’s tiny, absolutely tiny, but those offshore conditions will make it glassy. For advanced surfers who own a log or a fish, this might actually be a fun little window. There will be long gaps between sets with that period, but the paddle out will be easy.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. From Tuesday the 1st of September through to Wednesday the 9th, we’re looking at swell heights barely cracking 4 ft, with most days offering zero energy or onshore chop. There is another little window on Friday the 4th of September with a clean 4 ft swell from the NNW in the morning (combined energy of 101), again with a light cross-off breeze, but conditions are described as “very ordinary.” By Tuesday the 8th, we get a clean 3 ft from the west, but the period is only 4 seconds – short period slop.

To sum it up, the only real standout is Monday the 31st of August, particularly the afternoon. That’s the day to be out if you’re desperate for a paddle. The rest of the forecast is a waiting game. Conditions are mostly poor, and consistency is lacking. For a spot like this, a blank run is more normal. Keep the hopes low, and maybe the ocean will surprise us.

Rusty.

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