Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. We're looking at local spot Whangara, a beach and reef set-up that's fairly exposed to the action. The coming 16 days are a real mixed bag – we’ve got a few clean windows, but also some wild, windy weather to sit through.

Let's get into it. The action kicks off Tuesday morning, the 15th. That’s our standout window. We’ve got a clean 5-foot swell out of the south, with a nice 11-second period. The combined energy is sitting at a solid moderate 537. The wind is a light offshore from the north, keeping the surface glassy. This is the moment to paddle out. Water temp is 56°F, which is about 1°F cooler than average for this time of year, so nothing too unusual, just a standard chilly spring session.

That Tuesday afternoon the wind swings NE and picks up, making things choppy and messy, so aim for the morning. Wednesday, September 16th, has a small but clean morning with a 2-foot southeast groundswell and a long 13-second period, light offshore wind – great for a grovel session if you’ve got a log. Thursday has surfable but ordinary waist-high waves with variable wind.

Friday the 18th looks more interesting for the morning: chest-high 4-foot swell, 12-second period from the southeast, and a light offshore breeze. The combined energy is a solid 438. It's clean, but the swell direction isn't a perfect match for Whangara's optimum, so the shape might be a touch lumpy.

Saturday the 19th is another standout. The afternoon is looking absolutely perfect for a late session: the wind goes dead calm, glassy as a mirror, and there’s a clean 3-foot SSE groundswell with a 11-second period. That's a beautiful combination of smaller, clean waves and no wind.

From Sunday the 20th onwards, things get ordinary. The onshore winds start to bully the coast, and the swell drops off. We hit a proper dead spell from Monday the 21st into the middle of the next week. The energy numbers drop below 100, with tiny 2-foot to 2-foot swell and persistent onshore winds. There’s about a week of flat, messy conditions.

Keep an eye on Thursday, September 24th though. The morning shows a big bump in swell to 10 feet out of the south, but the period is a short 8 seconds, and it's being blasted by a strong SSW wind at 19 mph. The combined energy rockets up to 1158, which is strong, but with those onshore winds, the surface will be a mess. For paddle surfing, it’s a no-go. That set-up with the strong wind and big, lumpy swell is more interesting for the kite crew.

After that, the end of the month into the start of October is a write-off: small, weak swells, constant onshore or cross-shore winds, and rain. A bit of a blank run for the area, but forecasts can change.

Rusty out.

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