Whangamata Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat for the most part. We're looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak waves, so don't be in a rush to get the wettie on. The first real chance of anything worth paddling out for doesn't arrive until the very end of the period.

The first record kicks off on Friday the 17th of July, but it's a horrible start. Whangamata Bar is seeing tiny 0.7ft to 1ft of easterly swell with a very long period of 17-18 seconds. The combined energy is a measly 40. It's cross-off wind, but the swell is too gutless to do anything with.

This flat spell hangs around for days. The whole weekend of the 18th and 19th stays tiny, with a bit of offshore wind but nothing to surf. The water temp is about 59°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Moving into the next week, we get a window of glassy conditions on Tuesday the 21st of July in the afternoon, with the wind going dead calm. But the swell is still only 2ft from the ENE with a short period of 6 seconds, and the energy is a very weak 31. It's not enough to get excited about.

We see a few more glassy mornings and light offshore sessions right through the 22nd to the 29th of July, but every single one is haunted by the same problem – the swell is basically non-existent. The heights are all around 0.3ft to 0.7ft, and the combined energy rarely gets out of single digits. It's a heartbreaking run of flat, clean conditions.

Finally, we get a glimpse of something. On the 30th of July, Thursday morning, there's a little 2ft pulse from the north, combined energy of 25. It's a short period windswell at 5 seconds, but the wind is light cross-off. Then Thursday afternoon goes glassy, with the same 2ft north swell. It's still weak, but it's the best we've seen. Then Friday the 31st of July morning has a similar 2ft from the ESE with clean offshore winds. The energy is 32. It's nothing special, but it's surfable.

The very best of a bad bunch shows up on the 1st of August. Saturday morning and afternoon both show 1ft to 1ft from the ENE and NE, with a period of 15 seconds, which is a very long groundswell. The combined energy climbs to 93. The wind is light cross-off. The conditions are described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." For this area, that's the pinnacle. The long period will make the waves break a bit straight at the beach, but it's the only rideable swell in the whole outlook.

Because this spot is a beach/bar setup that's inconsistent, this kind of blank run is a bit more normal for the area. It's a tough watch, but the forecasts can change. Right now, if you're desperate, the 1st of August is the only day to even think about it, but keep expectations on the floor.

Rusty

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