Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s break down what’s coming our way.

We’re kicking off with a bit of a flat, frustrating start. The first few days – Tuesday the 14th through Wednesday the 15th – are pretty much a write-off. You’re looking at tiny dribbles around 2ft to 2ft from the ESE and E, with poor conditions. Not worth paddling out for.

The first real sign of life shows up on Thursday morning, the 16th of July. It’s still marginal, but things start to build. The real spark comes Thursday afternoon – a clean 3ft swell from the ESE (period 17 seconds) with offshore WNW winds. That is a proper long-period groundswell, with moderate wave energy (583), and it’ll be glassy and clean. Whangara is a beach and reef setup, and for a long-period ESE swell like this, the reef sections should hold up really well.

Friday morning the 17th of July is the standout of the entire run. This is the one you want to point your car at. We’ve got a solid 6ft ESE swell, period 15 seconds, strong wave energy (1567), and light WNW cross-off winds. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is average for this time of year – no anomaly, just standard winter gear. The conditions are rated excellent for experienced surfers. The optimum swell direction here is ENE, and this ESE swell is close enough to deliver quality, especially with that long period wrapping into the reef. Crowds can pop up here sometimes, so get in early.

Saturday morning the 18th is another cracker, just a notch below Friday. 6ft ESE swell, period 14 seconds, strong energy (1244), and glassy offshore NNW winds. Clean as a whistle. Strong and consistent.

From Monday the 20th, we see a bit of a drop-off in quality. Monday afternoon brings a bigger 6ft southerly swell, but it’s cross-onshore with light wind ripples – marginal. The rest of that week into the 21st and 22nd is small to moderate, with only a few fleeting glassy windows like Tuesday afternoon (21st) when the swell drops to 3ft from the ESE with glassy conditions.

Then, from the 23rd of July onward, things go completely ballistic but in a bad way for paddle surfing. We’re talking 8ft on Thursday morning, ramping up to 18ft by Saturday the 25th. The combined energy hits massive numbers like 5998 and 9419 – that's extreme. The wind is cross and cross-onshore from the ENE, and the swell direction is from the NE. The forecast notes say it’s simply too big for this break. This is kite-surfing territory, not a day for a shortboard unless you’re a total lunatic. For paddlers, this is a no-go zone.

After that massive pulse fades, things don't clean up much. The final days of July into the 29th see dropping swell and improving winds – a small 4ft ENE groundswell on Wednesday the 29th with offshore NW winds and clean conditions. That’s a nice little morning session for anyone who’s patient.

Bottom line: The absolute best surf is Friday morning the 17th of July at Whangara. Saturday morning the 18th is a very close second. Get on it, because the second week turns into a monster swell with messy winds and then fades into small, average stuff.

Rusty.

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