Whangamata Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, checking in from the New Zealand coast. Gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is looking like a proper winter lull for Whangamata Beach. We’ve got a big gap of tiny, unsurfable slop before a decent pulse shows up. Let’s break it down.

Right now through to the 7th of August, it’s flat. We’re talking ankle-snappers at best. The swell is way down, the energy is in the dumps, and there’s just nothing to get excited about. It’s a long stretch of poor surf, so don’t bother waxing up just yet.

Now, the first real standout comes on Saturday the 8th of August. The morning is where it’s at. The models are showing a proper pulse of north swell hitting 8ft, with a period of 8 seconds. That’s a lot of water moving around. The wind is glassy, dead calm from the west-northwest, which is going to leave the surface feeling like a mirror. That’s a rare treat. However, that size is getting into the expert-only zone, and it’s a short-period swell, so it’ll be a bit crumbly and fat. For the experienced crew, this is the call. The water is sitting at 58°, which is basically bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The afternoon of the 8th drops back to a still-juicy 5ft from the north, with no wind at all. Clean, but smaller. Still a good session, but the morning is the winner.

After that, the 9th through the 11th get messy. The swell hangs around in the 4ft to 6ft range, but the wind swings onshore or cross-onshore, turning it into a choppy mess. Not worth paddling out for.

The next window opens up on Wednesday the 12th of August. The swell drops to a more manageable 5ft to 5ft from the east-northeast, with a period of 10 seconds. The wind switches to a light offshore from the south-southeast, and by the afternoon it goes glassy from the southeast. That’s clean, fun surf with moderate energy. It’s a good option for the intermediate to advanced surfer, and the consistency looks fairly consistent. The 13th of August morning is also good, with a glassy 4ft from the east-northeast. The 14th holds clean with a glassy 5ft from the northeast, though the risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon could be a fun extra.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The absolute best offer is the morning of the 8th – a big, glassy, challenging north swell for the experts. If that’s too heavy, the 12th through the 14th offer cleaner, smaller waves with offshore and glassy winds. The 15th and 16th see the swell drop off again with strong offshore winds.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, that’s the story.

Rusty.

Read more