Whangamata Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

To be honest, we’re in for a long, quiet stretch. The first real surf I can get excited about doesn’t show up until Monday the 7th of September, and even then it’s a bit of a mess. Before that, from now through the weekend, there’s just nothing worth paddling out for – tiny 0.7ft to 3ft slop, mostly from the ENE or N, with periods all over the shop and cross-off winds. Save your wax.

Come Monday morning the 7th, Whangamata Bar starts to show a pulse. We’ve got a 6ft swell pushing in from the NNW, but the period is a short, fat 7 seconds. That’s going to be a bit of a washing machine – the combined energy is strong at 531, but the quality isn’t there. Winds are light and cross-off, so it’s not blown out, but the wave shape will be lumpy. Monday afternoon drops to a cleaner 3ft from the north with a light offshore, but the energy is moderate at 135. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Tuesday morning the 8th holds similar waist-high stuff from the NNE with moderate energy (101), but it’s still nothing to write home about.

We then hit another dry spell. From Wednesday the 9th right through until Tuesday the 15th, it’s back to tiny, weak energy – mostly under 2ft, with periods that are either too short or too long for the beach/bar setup. The ENE swells in the second week have periods up to 14 seconds, but the height is only 0.7ft to 1ft, so there’s no push. The winds are mostly offshore or clean, which is a tease.

Now, here’s the one real standout. On Wednesday the 16th of September, the bar fires up in the morning. We’ve got a solid 8ft swell from the NNW, a short period of 8 seconds, but the combined energy is massive at 921 – that’s a lot of water moving. The wind is a clean offshore from the west at 15 km/h (9 mph), which will keep the faces smooth. This is proper size, good for experienced surfers only; beginners will want to sit this one out. Given it’s a beach/bar break, that short period and big energy might make for some shifting, dumpy peaks, but with that offshore wind, it’s the best shot we get. After that, it fades fast into the afternoon with a 2ft leftover.

The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual to report there. Whangamata Bar can be inconsistent, and this forecast proves it – lots of waiting, but one morning of proper grunt if you’re keen and skilled.

Rusty.

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