Whangamata Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've got to be straight with you—over the next 16 days, Whangamata Beach is really struggling to find its groove. The swell is tiny and weak for most of the run, and what little energy does show up is often messy or on the wrong wind. We're looking at a long stretch of nothing much at all, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Right now, today, Wednesday August 19, there's a tiny 1 ft SE windswell with a short 5-second period—it's just not worth paddling out for. Water's sitting at 59°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The next few days are a quiet spell: Thursday and Friday see little 1.0 ft to 2 ft waves from the east, but with super weak energy—the combined swell energy is only 15 to 40—so it's basically flat. That continues through the weekend, with a bump on Sunday afternoon reaching 4 ft from the NW, but the period is a poor 6 seconds and the wind is a moderate cross-shore, making it choppy. Combined energy creeps to 106, but it's still not surfable.
Monday through Thursday of the next week are a dead zone—swell heights barely 0.3 ft to 1.0 ft, combined energy often under 15. I'm talking a gap of several days where you might as well stay home.

Things start to look a little more interesting around Friday August 28, when a 5 ft NNW swell rolls in with a 6-second period, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy. Combined energy jumps to 203, but it's not clean. Saturday August 29 offers a slight improvement: the morning has 1 ft NE swell with a 9-second period and light cross-offshore wind, but the afternoon sees 3 ft N swell and light cross-offshore wind, making it clean. Combined energy sits at 68—still ordinary. Sunday August 30 is the best of a weak bunch: 2 ft NE swell at 10 seconds, light cross-offshore wind, and combined energy of 118. It's surfable, but nothing to write home about.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Thursday September 3. The afternoon brings 4 ft ENE swell at 10 seconds, with glassy conditions—light east-southeast wind. Combined energy is a solid 309, and the water should be clean. This is the only session in the whole 16 days that gets a decent score, and it's a week and a half away, so treat it as promising but not locked in. The swell direction is east-northeast, which is close to the optimum northeast direction for this beach, so it should wrap in okay. The wave quality should be good, but don't expect perfection.

For the rest, it's a long wait. Most of the time, the swell is too small, the period too short, or the wind too messy. Honestly, if you're a beginner, the 4 ft to 5 ft swells later in the run might be okay, but the 5 ft on August 28 is windy and lumpy, so not ideal. The 4 ft glassy session on September 3 is your best bet—and it's manageable for intermediates, too. Crowds are sometimes an issue at Whangamata Beach, but given the poor run, it might be quieter than usual.

So, to sum it up: mostly flat and uninspiring, with a short window of hope around September 3. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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