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Charleston Surf Forecast
/ West Coast South Island (21 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Charleston surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Wednesday 06 May 2026 NZSTForecast 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
15.8° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Charleston this week:
The surf forecast for Charleston over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (May 08) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 20s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Charleston in the next 16 days are 6.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (May 09) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 5.0m 10s period and expected on Friday (May 08) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 8th May) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 8th May) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sat 9th May) | 20ft (6.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Charleston over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 166mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Wed afternoon, near gales from the NNE by Fri afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 6 | Thursday 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | Sunday 10 | Monday 11 | Tuesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
WSW 15 | WSW 15 | NNW 7 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | NW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | W 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | |
207 | 249 | 432 | 1835 | 1118 | 220 | 198 | 8473 | 3928 | 3445 | 3583 | 3947 | 4526 | 6645 | 5955 | 4308 | 2763 | 1910 | 1353 | 1122 | 854 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | on | on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross | off | glassy | |
High Tide | 1:40AM2.43m | 2:05PM2.31m | 2:27AM2.33m | 2:56PM2.21m | 3:20AM2.25m | 3:55PM2.16m | 4:21AM2.23m | 4:59PM2.17m | 5:24AM2.28m | 6:02PM2.25m | 6:23AM2.39m | 6:59PM2.39m | 7:18AM2.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:31PM0.66m | 7:58AM0.68m | 8:16PM0.76m | 8:47AM0.76m | 9:08PM0.83m | 9:43AM0.80m | 10:06PM0.86m | 10:44AM0.78m | 11:08PM0.83m | 11:45AM0.70m | 00:08AM0.74m | 12:42PM0.56m | 1:04AM0.60m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | |  | |  | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 |
 | 5:32 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:27 | — | 5:25 |
— | 1 | 23 | 28 | 33 | 47 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 13 |
14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 11 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | NNW 9 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 19 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | N 11 | — | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
 kJ | 207 | 249 | 264 | 175 | 1118 | 220 | 198 | 119 | 3928 | 3445 | 3583 | 3947 | 2 | — | 5955 | 4308 | 2763 | 1910 | 1353 | 1122 | 854 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | W 10 | W 9 | — | WSW 14 | W 10 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | — | — | — | — | WSW 14 | N 12 | N 12 | N 11 | WSW 23 |
| kJ | 18 | 8 | 43 | — | 175 | 30 | 64 | 25 | 2633 | 1274 | 380 | 117 | — | — | — | — | 514 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 106 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | W 12 | — | — | W 11 | — | W 9 | — | WNW 13 | WSW 15 | — | N 12 | — | — | — | — | — | N 12 | N 12 | W 26 | N 11 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | — | — | 10 | — | 6 | — | 1661 | 734 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 13 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | N 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 9 | — | N 9 | N 10 | NW 11 | — | — | — | — | W 13 | WSW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 74 | 432 | 1835 | — | 1898 | 4770 | 8473 | — | — | — | — | 4526 | 6645 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 24 | 184 | 246 | 179 | 179 | 281 | 196 | 157 | 157 | 15 | 15 | 180 | 532 | 15 | 26 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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 16 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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