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Surf Forecasts:

Charleston surf break

Charleston surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Wednesday 17 Sep 2025 NZST
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
12.7° C
 (Which is normal for this time of year)

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 Thursday (Sep 18) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Charleston in the next 12 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 18) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 21) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Thu 18th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 14s
Best Surf 9PM (Thu 18th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 14s
Most Powerful 9PM (Thu 18th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 14s

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 41mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Heavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds.

Wednesday
17
Thursday
18
Friday
19
Saturday
20
Sunday
21
Monday
22
Tuesday
23
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
!
!
3
4
2
0
1
0
!
4
5
2
4
4
2
4
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
2.5
W
3.5
WNW
4.5
WNW
4
WNW
3
NW
4
WSW
3.5
W
3
W
2.5
W
1.8
W
1.5
W
0.7
WSW
3.5
NNW
4.5
NW
3
NW
3
W
3
W
2.5
W
2.2
W
2
W
2
W
Period(s) (?)14101111101413121211121691111141312121213
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)263520814994375517995602421531651776804614283210450822172329731352120145911941400
Wind
(km/h)
25
NNW
30
NW
30
WNW
25
W
20
WSW
20
SW
10
ESE
5
NW
10
ENE
15
NNE
20
NNE
30
NE
50
NNE
15
NW
10
NE
5
N
10
WSW
5
SSE
0
NNE
5
WNW
15
NE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
on		cross-
on		oncross-
on		cross-
on		crossoffoncross-
off		crosscrosscross-
off		crosscross-
on		cross-
off		glasscross-
on		glassglassoncross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
7:25PM
2.44
8:01AM
2.42
8:23PM
2.58
8:52AM
2.54
9:10PM
2.70
9:35AM
2.66
9:50PM
2.80
10:12AM
2.74
10:26PM
2.86
10:46AM
2.79
11:00PM
2.87
11:18AM
2.80
11:33PM
2.84
Low Tide
/ height (m)
1:03PM
0.72
1:43AM
0.57
2:06PM
0.59
2:38AM
0.43
2:57PM
0.45
3:24AM
0.30
3:39PM
0.33
4:03AM
0.21
4:17PM
0.24
4:38AM
0.15
4:52PM
0.20
5:12AM
0.15
5:26PM
0.21
Wednesday
17
Thursday
18
Friday
19
Saturday
20
Sunday
21
Monday
22
Tuesday
23
Sunrise6:33--6:31--6:28--6:28--6:26--6:24--6:22--
Sunset-6:24--6:25--6:27--6:28--6:29--6:30--6:30-
light rain
light rain
heavy rain
light rain
thunderstorm
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
heavy rain
heavy rain
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
rain showers
Rain (mm)
1325543------1233------1
Temp. °C14141411111011119111112131211131411131311
Feels °C (?)1098564886664510101112911116
  • 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

Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for West Coast South Island

  1. weather stationWind Update The wind is still cross-on at Charleston (moderate winds from the N at WestportAeroAws 21 km from Charleston). 3.4m 9s swell from the WNW with a 1.5m 13s groundswell from the WSW. 2 swells combining so expect closeout sets.

    49 minutes ago Charleston
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21 km away, 49 min ago

26 km/h
N
0.0
12.7
Air / Water (°C)
Please reload the page to see if there are any updates.

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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