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Surf Forecasts:

Charleston surf break

Charleston surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 am Tuesday 20 Jan 2026 NZDT
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Charleston surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Charleston sea temperature is
18.1° C
 (Which is slightly warmer than usual)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Charleston this week:

The surf forecast for Charleston over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jan 20) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Charleston in the next 12 days are 5.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jan 24) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 10s period and expected on Thursday (Jan 22) at 10AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Tue 20th Jan)2ft (0.6m) 11s
Best Surf 1AM (Sat 24th Jan)16ft (5.0m) 12s
Most Powerful 4AM (Sat 24th Jan)16ft (5.0m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Charleston over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 54mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat afternoon, calm by Sat night).

Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Saturday
24
Sunday
25
Mon
26
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
0
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
!
!
!
!
!
2
4
3
2
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.7
SW
0.6
WSW
0.7
WSW
0.9
WSW
0.8
WSW
0.8
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.6
WSW
0.7
WSW
0.9
WSW
1.2
WSW
3
WSW
5
WSW
4.5
WSW
4
WSW
4
WSW
3.5
WSW
3
WSW
2.5
WSW
2.4
WSW
2
WSW
Period(s) (?)11111313121222201918169121213121211111010
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)13096154265196187157304391547688156571036009494952483505261215981175712
Wind
(km/h)
10
ENE
5
NNE
10
WSW
10
S
0
N
0
SE
5
ESE
5
SE
5
SSW
15
SSW
10
WSW
15
WNW
10
WNW
25
SSW
35
SW
15
SW
5
W
10
W
5
ESE
5
N
10
WNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off		glasscross-
on		cross-
off		glassglassglasscross-
off		crosscrosscross-
on		ononcrosscrosscross-
on		oncross-
on		glassglasson
High Tide
/ height (m)
12:23AM
2.68
12:39PM
2.80
12:59AM
2.72
1:15PM
2.84
1:36AM
2.73
1:52PM
2.85
2:14AM
2.71
2:30PM
2.81
2:55AM
2.66
3:13PM
2.74
3:40AM
2.59
4:01PM
2.64
4:32AM
2.51
4:58PM
2.53
Low Tide
/ height (m)
6:29AM
0.32
6:52PM
0.24
7:05AM
0.27
7:29PM
0.19
7:42AM
0.26
8:07PM
0.19
8:21AM
0.28
8:47PM
0.22
9:03AM
0.33
9:31PM
0.30
9:50AM
0.42
10:21PM
0.40
10:44AM
0.52
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Saturday
24
Sunday
25
Mon
26
Sunrise-6:22--6:22--6:24--6:24--6:26--6:28--6:28-
Sunset--9:07--9:06--9:05--9:05--9:04--9:02--9:01
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
light rain
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
Rain (mm)
----1223262-1361-------
Temp. °C171920171817171718171817151315141515141717
Feels °C (?)161718161718171918171816126891312121616
  • 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

Latest Updates

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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 Charleston 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.

View detailed surf forecast for Charleston at:
surf-forecast.com

Information about the Charleston Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Charleston provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Charleston can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Charleston 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 (Charleston) 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 Charleston 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.

Charleston is 167 km (104 miles) from the city of Nelson. If you plan a holiday in West Coast South Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Nelson. Nelson has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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