Whangamata Estuary Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what we've got cookin' for the Whangamata Estuary over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the first week is a bit of a heartbreaker. There's some swell on the table here and there, but the conditions just aren't playing ball. For the first few days – Thursday and Friday – we've got a bit of a clean-up with some light to moderate offshore winds, but the swell is tiny and short period. Friday morning might offer the best of a pretty ordinary bunch, with a 4ft north swell and a clean 9 mph offshore breeze, but it's a windswell with a period of 7 seconds, so it'll be crumbly and weak.

We then hit a long, dry spell. From Saturday the 1st of August right through to Wednesday the 6th, it's pretty much flat or near-flat. We're talking ankle-biters at best. If you're not a patient soul, this is a good time to find something else to do.

Things get a bit interesting, but not in a good way, around the 8th of August. The swell picks up significantly – we're seeing 6ft to 7ft from the east-northeast by Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th. There's some real power in the water. But here's the kicker: the wind is howling onshore from the east, and it's just going to be a choppy, messy mess. This setup might look more appealing to a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, to be honest.

That massive spike on the 11th of August is for the brave or the foolish. We're talking a 10ft east-northeast swell with a long 10-second period. But it's accompanied by a fresh 22 mph cross-onshore breeze and heavy rain. That's a total washing machine. Don't even think about it unless you're a masochist with a big wave gun and a death wish.

Then, just when you're about to give up, we get a glimmer of hope. Thursday morning, the 13th of August. The swell drops back to a still solid 7ft from the east, with a 10-second period, and the wind goes completely cross-offshore from the southwest at just 3 mph. That'll be clean, and the long period will give it some proper grunt. It's a long-range call, so don't book the day off work just yet, but it's the only standout in the whole window worth getting a little bit excited about. The rest of that week just gets blown out again.

So, my call? If you want something to surf, you're probably going to be disappointed for most of this outlook. The water temp is sitting at about 59°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. The standout is that Thursday the 13th – if it comes together, get in the water.

Rusty.

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