Whangamata Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at Whangamata Beach for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – there's not a single day in this 16-day window that's gonna get your blood pumping. The swell is tiny, mostly 0.7ft to 3ft, and the direction is hanging around east to east-northeast, which is okay for this spot but the energy just isn't there. The combined energy readings are in the low to moderate range (45 up to 181), but the wave heights are just too small to push any real shape. The water temperature is sitting at 59°, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

The first few days from Saturday 18 July through to Wednesday 22 July are all marked "poor surf conditions" – tiny waves, mostly 0.7ft to 2ft, with periods under 8 seconds. That's windswell trash, not something you paddle out for. The winds are often offshore or glassy, which is cruel because it's clean but there's nothing to ride.

Thursday 23 July afternoon shows a little glimmer – 2ft from east-northeast, period 8 seconds, glassy conditions. The combined energy hits 75 – still weak. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". That's the best it gets, and it's barely worth a mention. Friday 24 July morning has a similar setup: 3ft, east-northeast, period 8 seconds, glassy, with combined energy 125 (moderate). But again, it's ordinary. The afternoon gets ruined by a cross-shore wind.

Saturday 25 July sees stronger offshore winds (16 mph) and 3ft from the east, period 9 seconds, but the morning is still "poor" and the afternoon is only "surfable but ordinary". The combined energy gets up to 181 in the morning, but the waves are too small and the wind is strong. It might look interesting for a kite surfer, but for a paddle surfer it's a miss.

From Sunday 26 July onwards, the swell drops again – 2ft, then 1ft, then 0.7ft, and by the end of the month we're looking at 0.3ft to 1ft with periods all over the place. The last few days of July and into August 1-2 have some offshore winds again, but the wave heights are tiny – 1ft to 1ft. The combined energy on August 1 afternoon is 134 (moderate) but the swell is only 1ft, period 15 seconds – that's a long-period groundswell, but it's so small it won't break properly at a beach break like Whangamata.

So what's the bottom line? There's no real surf on offer here. The break is fairly consistent, but when the swell is this weak, consistency doesn't mean a thing. If you're a beginner, you might find a few ankle-biters on the glassy days, but don't expect anything rideable. For everyone else, this is a blank run. The good news is that forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long – but for now, stay home and wax your board for another day.

Rusty.

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