Whangamata Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Whangamata Bar and, mate, it’s a tough one. Over the next 16 days, this stretch is pretty much starved for any kind of decent surf. The first real chance we see anything even slightly worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Friday the 28th of August, and even then it’s just a flicker. Before that, from now right through to Thursday the 27th, we’re looking at a brutal stretch of tiny waves – mostly around 0.3 ft to 2 ft – and hardly any energy behind them. The combined swell energy barely gets into double digits most days, sitting around 3 to 37 for the first week. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

Come Friday the 28th of August, there’s a little pulse. The morning sees some 3 ft swell from the north with a short period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 55 (still weak). Winds are offshore from the west at 16 mph, so the surface will be clean, but those waves are just too short-period to hold any shape on a beach/bar set-up. The afternoon pushes up to 3 ft from the north, still 6 seconds, with energy climbing to 92. It’s surfable but very ordinary – nothing to get excited about. The offshore breeze keeps it tidy, but it’s a real scrounge for a wave.

The weekend rolls in, and Saturday the 29th drops back to tiny 1 ft from the northeast. The morning has a cross-offshore wind from the southwest at 12 mph, so it’s clean but gutless – combined energy of just 41. By Sunday the 30th of August, we see a jump in energy: 3 ft from the northeast, 10-second period, and the combined energy hits 132 (moderate). But here’s the kicker – winds are onshore from the east-northeast at 9 mph, ruining any chance of clean faces. That onshore flow sticks around into early September, with Monday the 31st showing 4 ft northeast swell and strong energy (326) but again, onshore winds. The waves are there but sloppy.

Into the first week of September, the swell gets a bit more size but the quality doesn’t improve. Tuesday the 1st of September has 4 ft from the east-northeast with 10-second period and 258 energy, but the wind is cross-onshore from the east-southeast at 6 mph. It’s light crud, not good. Thursday the 3rd of September is cross-onshore and choppy with 3 ft from the northeast. Then Friday the 4th of September sees the biggest swell of the whole run: 5 ft in the morning and 7 ft in the afternoon from the north-northeast, with energy jumping to 237 and then 510. That’s a proper punch for the bar, but the period is short at 7 to 8 seconds, and winds are cross-onshore turning onshore. That combo will make for a lumpy, dumpy mess – likely more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle-surfing session, especially as 7 ft with short period on a beach/bar is expert-only territory and chaotic.

Honestly, there’s no standout session in this window. The only day that might turn a head is Friday the 28th of August morning, just because the first sign of life in a dead period can feel special, but it’s tiny. If you’re desperate, that’s your shot – otherwise, sit this one out. The water temp is around 59°F right now, which is pretty average for this time of year, no real surprise there.

Keep the chin up, mate – it’s a flat patch, but autumn always has more to give.

Rusty.

Read more