Whangamata Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve had a look at the charts for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a tough stretch for Whangamata Bar. The outlook starts on Friday the 7th of August, but there’s nothing worth paddling out for until the afternoon of Sunday the 9th, and even then it’s pretty ordinary. You’ll be staring at a flat spell from Friday through most of Saturday, with barely a ripple.

Come Sunday afternoon, we finally see a pulse of swell – 5 ft from the NNW with a short 6-second period, but the wind is cross-off and the combined energy is moderate (206). The conditions are surfable, but nothing to write home about. The water temperature is sitting at 58°, which is about average for this time of year. Monday the 10th offers a bit more of the same, with morning swell around 3 ft from the NNE, a 7-second period, and light offshore winds – clean, but weak energy (100). By Monday afternoon, the swell drops a little and the wind goes cross-off, still only ordinary.

The standout, if you can call it that, is shaping up for Friday the 14th of August. That afternoon, Whangamata Bar gets a solid 12 ft pulse from the NNE with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is massive (4098). The wind is cross-off, so it’ll be clean. But – and this is a big but – that’s a serious amount of water for the bar. It’s going to be only for experts at that size. The swell direction from the NNE is a good match for the optimum NE direction, and the long period means there’ll be proper groundswell energy, but at a beach/bar break, the sets might break a bit straight and the rip will be pumping. Not a beginner’s wave. And because it’s a week out, there’s still some uncertainty.

Before that, Thursday the 13th has a 4 ft NNE swell with a 7-second period and light cross-off winds in the morning – clean, but weak energy (127). It’s surfable, but just. The 12th is a write-off with strong onshore winds and choppy, messy conditions.

After the big Friday, the swell drops quickly. Saturday the 15th still has some size – 7 ft from the NE in the morning with a 9-second period and cross-off wind – but the energy is dropping (675). It’s still clean, but it’s on the way out. By Sunday the 16th, we’re back to ankle-to-knee-high (3 ft) and the wind swings onshore, so it’s over.

Then from Monday the 17th onwards, it’s flat and glassy for days – tiny swell, poor conditions, and no energy. A long blank run through to the end of the forecast on the 22nd. The only real highlight is that Friday the 14th burst, and if you’re an experienced local, it might be worth a look. For everyone else, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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