Whangamata Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for the Whangamata Bar (Whangamata) for the next couple of weeks. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, the start of this outlook is a proper drought. We’ve got a solid stretch of nothing but tiny, messy slop on the cards. The water temp is sitting around 59°F, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so the rubber’s gonna be fine.

From this Sunday the 6th right through to Thursday the 10th, it’s a write-off. We’re talking ankle-biters and knee-high dribble, with swell energy readings down in the low double digits. The odd light cross-off breeze will keep the surface tidy, but there’s just nothing moving. You’d be better off fixing a ding or waxing a board for later.

We get a little pulse of energy on Monday the 7th as that NNE swell fills in, but it’s junky, short-period stuff mixing with the wind. By Tuesday the 8th, the swell eases back to a pathetic 3 feet and the conditions are just ordinary. The gap stretches out, and we chew through several more days of flatness all the way to Wednesday the 16th. The swell energy barely gets into triple figures and the period is way too short to do anything with.

There is a glimmer of hope on Friday the 18th. That NNW swell pushes up to 10 feet by the afternoon with a building energy, but it's showing as cross-off and the period is a short 9 seconds. It’s gonna be lumpy and hard to manage, likely breaking all over the place. That’s expert territory if you’re keen, but it won't be pretty.

The weekend that follows, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th, is a complete no-go for paddling. Swell stays big, between 7 and 8 feet, but we’ve got strong cross-onshore winds, rain, and a proper mess on our hands. Energy readings are huge, but it’s all being chopped up. Honestly, that looks far more interesting for the kite crew than us surfers.

So, for the standout in this whole 16-day run, you’re looking at Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got. The swell drops to a more manageable 5 to 6 feet from the ENE, with a long-period 12-13 second groundswell. The wind swings offshore and clean, so the Bar should actually hold shape. The energy is still strong, but the conditions are vastly better than the weekend chaos. It’s gonna be inconsistent, as the Bar often is, but get out there. That’s your window.

Don’t hold your breath on the rest of that second week. It fades back down, and the energy drops off.

Rusty, out.

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