Catlins River Mouth Surf Break

Lat Long: 46.48° S 169.72° E

Catlins River Mouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 21 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Catlins River Mouth sea temperature is
11.2°C
2.0° 

Catlins River Mouth surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Catlins River Mouth surf forecast from 21 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 23 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 28 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with 13,728 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 22 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 16s period with SSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Catlins River Mouth this week:

The surf forecast for Catlins River Mouth over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 22) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Catlins River Mouth in the next 16 days are 6.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 28) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 22) at 9AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Tue 22nd Sep)7ft (2.2m) 16s
Best Surf 3AM (Wed 23rd Sep)15ft (4.5m) 15s
Most Powerful 4AM (Mon 28th Sep)20ft (6.0m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Catlins River Mouth over the next 16 days.


Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 4°C on Tue afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Mon afternoon, light winds from the NW by Wed night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu afternoon, min 4°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, strong winds from the SW by Sun morning).

Mon
21
Tuesday
22
Wednesday
23
Thursday
24
Friday
25
Saturday
26
Sunday
27
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
3
4
2
3
5
!
3
3
3
3
2
0
2
2
0
2
0
0
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
SSW
15
1.7
SSW
15
2.2
SSW
16
2.2
SSW
15
2.3
SSW
15
3
SSW
16
4
SW
15
1.7
SSW
16
1.4
SSW
15
1.8
SSW
15
1.6
SSW
14
1.3
SSW
13
1.3
SSW
13
0.7
SW
12
0.7
ESE
13
0.7
ESE
13
1.7
SW
7
3.5
SSW
11
5
SSW
14
5.5
SSW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
818
1258
2417
2325
2427
4051
7720
1341
929
1356
955
624
522
154
156
154
309
2865
10537
12710
Wind (km/h)
20
NW
20
W
25
WNW
35
W
25
WSW
15
W
25
WSW
15
W
20
WNW
25
W
10
W
5
NW
15
ENE
10
N
15
WNW
15
S
20
WSW
40
SW
45
SSW
35
SW
Wind State
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
11:21PM2.06m
11:50AM2.10m
00:10AM2.12m
12:35PM2.17m
00:52AM2.20m
1:16PM2.24m
1:31AM2.29m
1:55PM2.32m
2:09AM2.37m
2:33PM2.39m
2:47AM2.44m
3:11PM2.44m
Low Tide
5:14PM1.18m
5:38AM1.06m
6:07PM1.08m
6:26AM0.96m
6:50PM0.97m
7:08AM0.87m
7:28PM0.88m
7:47AM0.79m
8:05PM0.80m
8:26AM0.73m
8:43PM0.74m
9:06AM0.70m
9:23PM0.71m
rain showers
rain showers
clear
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
cloud
cloud
light rain
rain showers
light rain
light rain
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:31
6:28
6:26
6:24
6:22
7:20
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:36
6:37
6:37
6:39
6:40
6:42
7:43
 mm
3
5
5
5
1
1
1
2
2
11
4
3
1
Temp °C
18
7
11
7
6
7
8
7
9
11
9
9
10
9
11
9
6
6
4
5
Feels °C
14
2
4
-1
-2
1
2
2
4
6
6
7
7
6
8
5
2
-3
-7
-3
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Catlins River Mouth:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Catlins River Mouth surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Catlins River Mouth Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Catlins River Mouth provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Catlins River Mouth can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Catlins River Mouth surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Catlins River Mouth) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Catlins River Mouth may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Catlins River Mouth is 91 km (57 miles) from Dunedin. If you plan a holiday in Catlins, look for hotels and other accommodation in Dunedin. Dunedin has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest