Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty.

You know, looking at this 16-day window for the Gisborne region, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a rough patch. We’ve got a solid gap of pretty average conditions to kick things off before we finally see a window of opportunity towards the end. The overall pattern is dominated by these strong westerly and southerly winds that are just messing up the surface, making it hard to find anything clean and fun.

The first real chance of a surf is going to be Whangara on the morning of Friday the 21st of August. We’re looking at a small 4ft swell from the southeast with a moderate period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 263. The real standout here is the wind: it’s a light offshore from the northwest, only 3 mph. That’s going to keep things clean. The swell is small, so it’s not going to be pumping, but it’s a chance to get wet without getting blown off your board. This is a fairly consistent beach and reef break, so you can usually find something.

The next little window comes on the morning of Sunday the 23rd of August. The swell has dropped even more to 2ft from the south, but the wind is a moderate offshore from the northwest at 16 mph. The wave energy is weak at 141, so it’s going to be very small, but clean. It’s an option if you’re desperate.

Now, the real standout of the entire forecast is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. This is the one to circle. The swell picks up to 5ft from the north, with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy climbs to a strong 370. The wind is a gentle offshore from the north at 9 mph, which will keep the surface clean. The swell size is just over 5ft, so it’s probably getting a bit punchy for the total beginners, but for the average surfer, this is looking like the best bet. The swell direction is north-northeast, which is a little off the optimum for Whangara, which likes an east-northeast swell, but it’s close enough. The period is short, so it’ll be a bit more of a windswell feel, but the clean conditions and solid size make it the pick of the litter.

After that, the forecast drops back into small, onshore, and messy conditions for the rest of the window. It’s a classic case of waiting out the wind and hoping the next long-range chart brings something better.

Stay patient, stay salty.

Rusty.

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