Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our patch. We’ve got a pretty decent run of surf coming, but the first few days are a bit of a teaser before the real action hits. The water is sitting at 57°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

Let’s kick off on Thursday, July 30th, at Whangara. We’re looking at a 5ft swell from the ESE (12 sec period) with a light NNW offshore breeze. That’s clean, glassy stuff, and the wave energy is a solid moderate 618. The morning is the pick, with the afternoon dropping a touch to 5ft and the wind going cross-offshore. It’s not huge, but it’s the first proper surf and it’s tidy.

Friday, July 31st, the swell drops a little to 3ft in the morning and 3ft in the afternoon, but we’ve got a steady NW offshore wind at 12 mph. The period holds at 11 seconds, so the waves will have some shape. Energy is moderate (283/320). It’s a smaller, clean day – good for a longboard or a funboard.

Now, Saturday, August 1st, is a write-off. The swell collapses to 2ft from the SE with a long 16-second period, but a strong SW cross-wind at 15-18 mph messes it up. Poor conditions. Save your energy.

Sunday, August 2nd, is the standout. The morning brings a clean 8ft swell from the south (12 sec period) with a light WSW cross-offshore breeze. The energy jumps to a strong 2183. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – it’s a bit much for beginners. The afternoon is still 8ft but the wind swings cross-onshore, making it a bit lumpy. Get in the water early.

Monday, August 3rd, is still good. The swell drops to 6ft-7ft from the south, with a moderate WNW cross-offshore wind. The period is 11-13 seconds, and energy is moderate to strong (872/1332). The waves are solid, clean, and there’s a bit of power behind them. It’s a good follow-up day.

Tuesday, August 4th, is a mixed bag. The morning is tiny at 1ft from the NE – not worth a paddle. The afternoon, however, kicks up to a big 8ft south swell with a 14-second period, and the energy is very strong at 3032. But the wind is a messy cross-shore, so it’s a bit of a choppy beast. This one is for the experienced crew only and conditions are questionable.

The middle of the week, from Wednesday, August 5th, through to Thursday, August 6th morning, there’s still solid south swell around (8ft-10ft), but the wind is strong and cross-shore, making it lumpy and poor. The Thursday morning of the 6th is a brief window of 5ft south swell with a light west cross-offshore wind and clean conditions – that’s a good pick for a quick session.

From Friday, August 7th, things get a bit weird. The Friday morning is clean with a 3ft south swell, but the afternoon brings a 10ft SSE swell with a short 8-second period and onshore wind – messy. Then Saturday, August 8th, is a real treat for the experts: a glassy 10ft SSE swell (9 sec period) in the morning with the wind dead calm. The energy is very strong at 1388. That’s a big, clean, powerful day. The afternoon is still 10ft but the onshore wind picks up again.

After that, from Sunday, August 9th, through to the end of the 16 days, the surf gets smaller and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore from the east and northeast. The swell is often middling to poor, and conditions are choppy or lumpy. There are a few marginal windows, but nothing that’s going to get the heart racing. The energy values drop off significantly after the 8th.

So, the best on offer is clearly the morning of Sunday, August 2nd, for that clean, powerful 8ft south swell. The morning of Saturday, August 8th, is also a standout for the big, glassy 10ft swell, but that’s a week and a half away and a bit less certain. The Thursday morning, July 30th, is your best bet for a clean, manageable start.

Rusty.

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