Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty.

Look, we’ve got a mixed bag coming up here for Whangara. The first week is a bit of a slow burn, with some small windows of clean surf, but nothing to get too worked up about. The real story is in the second week, where we see a massive pulse of energy that’s going to be a handful.

We kick off on Saturday, the 8th of August. The morning is the pick of the day. We’ve got a solid 7ft swell from the south, with a long period of 13 seconds, and a light WNW breeze keeping it glassy. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The wave energy is strong, clocking in at 1796. This is excellent for experienced surfers – that long period groundswell will be wrapping into the point and reef, offering some proper lines. The afternoon turns a bit onshore from the northeast, so it’ll get a bit lumpy.

Sunday the 9th is a step down in size to 5ft, but still clean with a north wind. The period drops to 11 seconds, but the energy is still moderate at 803. It’s a good, manageable morning. By the afternoon, the swell drops to 3ft but the period stretches out to 14 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’ll be glassy and clean.

Monday the 10th is small and clean in the morning, 3ft from the south, but by the afternoon the wind goes glassy and the swell drops to 3ft. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Tuesday the 11th is similar, with a clean 3ft morning, but the afternoon turns onshore and messy.

Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th is a write-off, with rising wind and messy, short-period swell. There’s a brief window on Friday afternoon, the 14th, with a glassy 4ft from the east, but that’s about it.

Now, we hit a real gap from the 15th to the 17th where the surf is just poor. Small, weak, and windy.

Then things get interesting. On Tuesday the 18th of August, a massive swell hits. We’re talking 15ft from the south, with a period of 14 seconds and energy readings of 7402 and 6904. That is huge. The problem is the wind is howling from the southwest at 22 to 25 mph, creating a messy, lumpy cross-chop. This is not for paddling; this is a kite surfer’s dream. The swell is too big and the wind too strong for any kind of enjoyable paddle surfing.

This huge swell lingers through Wednesday the 19th (10ft) and Thursday the 20th (12ft), but the wind stays strong and cross-shore. The forecast even notes that the swell is too big for this break. It’s a no-go for the average surfer.

The only real standout in the whole run is Sunday the 23rd of August. After a long stretch of rubbish, we get a clean 6ft south swell with a 10-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW. The wave energy is a solid 883. It’s going to be clean, with some good lines. This is the best option on offer, but it’s a long way out, so keep your fingers crossed.

So, to sum it up: the first week has a few clean, small windows for the experienced crew. The middle of the period is a dud. The big swell in the second week is too wild for paddling, but Sunday the 23rd looks like a proper session if the forecast holds.

Rusty.

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