Schnappers Point Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

Rob Davies from NEW ZEALAND writes:

Schnapper (Snapper) point is by far the most popular break in the Nelson district.

It is located out on the boulder bank, just past the oxidation ponds. It's a nicer setting than it sounds and the views over to the often snow-covered Tasman Mountain is spectacular.

Where the dirt road first reaches the sea you will get a nice view of the swell. Schnappers is usually a but bigger than here so if it looks like there is any swell at all, keep going.

When it is on, it can get crowded by Nelson locals, especially at weekends, but the atmosphere is friendly and there are usually enough waves to go round. The main wave is a steep right hander that can provide makeable hollow sections. There is a left too and although this is described as a close-out in some surf guides, I have found it very good at times with much less competition for waves than the right. The paddle out (and back in) over slippery boulders can be a challenge if you are not wearing boots and often you have to work against the current to stay in position.

Although the Nelson region doesn't receive a lot of swell it would be a mistake for traveling surfers to dismiss it completely because the quality of waves can be excellent and it is certainly one of New Zealand's best towns. Occasionally, when the famous Kaikora coast is either flat or onshore, the Nelson area, 4 hours drive away, is going off.

The reason visiting surfers generally overlooked it is that NW swells are uncommon and usually they are accompanied by onshore winds. Surfing in Nelson usually involves picking the brief window when the wind has dropped but the locally generated swell is still running. Locals get this right and are on it very quickly whereas the chances of passing through Nelson and finding good waves is pretty slim.

It doesn't usually last more than a couple of days, often just a few hours. The much more common SW swells in the Tasman that are so good reliable Taranaki pass Nelson by, on the other side of distant Farewell Spit so all in all there is just a tiny window of swell directions that can get in here; a little better along the coast at Whangamoa.

The exception to the rule that you only get to surf fading windswells is when a sub-tropical depression drops into the Tasman and sends a rare NW groundswell directly into Tasman Bay. When that happens all kinds of weird and wonderful spots start to fire and places like Schnapper, The Cut and Cable Bay approach the quality of New Zealand's more famous locations.

2010-03-06