Surf-Forecast | Whale Watch Reef Surf Guide

Whale Watch Reef Surf Guide

Whale Watch Reef in Kaikoura and Marlborough is an exposed beach and reef break that does not work very often with no particular seasonal pattern. The best wind direction is from the southwest. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the ideal swell angle is from the northeast. There is no beach break as well as a right hand reef break. Best around low tide when the tide is falling. It very rarely gets crowded here. Watch out for rips, rocks and sharks.

Whale Watch Reef Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	2	inconsistent	12.6°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Whale Watch Reef:

The best conditions reported for surf at Whale Watch Reef occur when a Northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Whale Watch Reef (for consistent clean waves)?

aprilBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Whale Watch Reef with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of April. Clean surfable waves are typically found 11% of the time in April while 15% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 74% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

11%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

15%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

74%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Whale Watch Reef Location Map

Interactive Whale Watch Reef surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Whale Watch Reef is Woodbourne Airport (BHE) in New Zealand, 99 km (61 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Whale Watch Reef is Nelson Airport (NSN), also in New Zealand, 128 km (80 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Whale Watch Reef Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 11 June 2026, 18:41 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 11			Fri
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)		NE	NE	NNE
Period (s)	-	4	3	4
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	on	on	glass	cross- off

Tides at Whale Watch Reef

Current tide and informaton

For Kaikoura, New Zealand, 2 km from Whale Watch Reef.

Next High Water: 01:12am | 1.93m

Next Low Water: 07:03pm | 0.56m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Whale Watch Reef Sea Temperature

The water temperature (12.6 °C) at Whale Watch Reef is quite cold. If the sun shines as forecast, it should feel warm enough to get away with a good sealed spring wetsuit but you won't overheat in a winter wetsuit, gloves boots and a hood. Effective windchill factor of (10.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.