Whangamoa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for us at Whangamoa. It’s a bit of a slow start, but we’ve got a couple of proper windows to get excited about. This is a sandbar setup, so it needs a bit of love to line up, and it’s inconsistent, so you gotta pick your moments.

The early part of the outlook is pretty quiet. From Tuesday the 18th right through to Sunday the 23rd of August, it’s a write-off. We’re looking at days of flatness or tiny, gutless wind swell with no energy to speak of. The combined energy on the 22nd afternoon is only 143 (moderate), but it’s coming from the wrong direction with a howling onshore wind. It’s a real flat spell, so save your energy.

Things start to look a bit more interesting mid-week, but still not looking good. The morning of Wednesday the 26th of August has a bit of swell (5ft from the NNW) with a combined energy of 170 (moderate), but the wind is cross-shore and it’s messy. Then on the afternoon of the 26th, the swell jumps up to 7ft from the NNW, and the energy is cranking at 320 (strong). The wind is offshore – a light rain, but clean. The only catch is that the forecast says the swell is actually too big for this break. It’s a sandbar, and 7ft of short-period swell (6 seconds) is going to be a close-out city. Save that for the experts, and even then, it’s a gamble.

The real standout, and the one to circle on your calendar, is Saturday the 29th of August. The morning is looking magic. We’ve got a solid 7ft of swell from the NNW, combined energy of 567 (strong), and the wind is glassy. Absolutely dead calm. That’s the golden ticket. The swell is short period at 8 seconds, so it won’t have the grunt of a groundswell, but with zero wind, that sandbar could really hold. It’s a big wave though, so this is for the experienced crew only. The surf will be clean and powerful. Expect some crowds as it’s an exposed spot and never gets crowded, but on a day like this, it’ll be worth the paddle out.

Following that, Monday the 1st of September is another big one, but it’s a long way out. The forecast is for a 5ft NNW groundswell with a very long period of 15 seconds, and a combined energy of 1132 (very strong). That’s a lot of juice. The wind is glassy again in the morning. This is a setup for a point or reef, and at a sandbar, that long period can make the waves a bit straight and hard to predict. But if it lines up, the shape will be incredible for experienced surfers. The water temp is 55°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so don’t leave the wetsuit at home.

The rest of the first week of September fades back into flatness and small, weak swell. Tuesday the 1st has a tiny 0.3ft swell from the north with a 21-second period, which is just a ripple. So, the two bright spots are Saturday the 29th of August and Monday the 1st of September.

Rusty out.

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