Whangamata Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer down at Whangamata Bar. Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this stretch of the next 16 days is looking grim. There’s practically nothing worth paddling out for. The first sniff of waves that’s even close to surfable doesn’t show up until Monday, September 7th, and even then, it’s a struggle.

The whole pattern is a bust. We’ve got a long, dry gap from now until that Monday. The swell is tiny, mostly around 0.6 ft to 1 ft, with a few blips of energy that just don’t have the guts. The wind is often offshore or glassy, which is a cruel tease – clean conditions but no power behind them. The water temp is sitting at 59°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so no shock there, but you’ll still want a good wetsuit.

Alright, let’s run through the best of a bad lot. On Monday, September 7th, things finally get a little interesting. The morning kicks off with a bit of a swell bump from the north at 4 ft, but the period is short at 8 seconds, and the wind is cross-off from the WNW. It’s not great. The combined energy hits 163 (moderate energy), but the waves are messy. The afternoon is slightly better – a touch of offshore wind from the WSW at 12 mph, with the swell dropping to 3 ft from the north. Still, the period is only 8 seconds, and the energy is down to 95 (weak). It’s surfable, but barely. The comment says "very ordinary conditions," and I’m not going to argue with that.

After that, it’s back to the same story. Tuesday the 8th has some tiny 2 ft NNE swell with clean offshore winds, but the energy is weak (49 and 48). The rest of the week is a wasteland of nothing – 0.6 ft to 1 ft dross, with the odd long period swell (up to 15 seconds) but no height to back it up. That kind of long period on a beach/bar break like Whangamata Bar will just break too straight, so it’s not worth the hype.

The second week is more of the same. Nothing changes. The swell stays tiny, the energy stays low, and the wind is mostly clean but meaningless. There’s a moment on the 17th of September with a glassy morning and a 1 ft NE swell, but that’s not going to get anyone out of bed.

If you’re a beginner, this is safe – the swell never breaks 5 ft, so it’s not too big, but it’s also not good enough to learn on. For the experts, there’s nothing to get excited about. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, with the consistent clean winds and tiny waves.

So, I’d say sit this one out. The forecasts can change, but right now, there’s nothing to chase. Hang tight.

Rusty.

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