Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Cliffs Surf Guide

Cliffs in Gisborne and Mahia is a fairly exposed reef break that only works once in a while with no particular seasonal pattern. Works best in offshore winds from the north northeast with some shelter here from northeast winds. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the best swell direction is from the south. No reef break here. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up.

Cliffs Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	2	inconsistent	16.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Cliffs:

The best conditions reported for surf at Cliffs occur when a South swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

aprilBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Cliffs with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of April. Clean surfable waves are typically found 12% of the time in April while 23% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 65% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

12%

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

blown out

23%

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

too small

65%

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

Explore Cliffs Location Map

Interactive Cliffs 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 Cliffs is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 6 km (4 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Cliffs is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 130 km (81 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.

Cliffs Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 13:34 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Period (s)	14	17	16	15
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	off	off	cross- off

Tides at Cliffs

Current tide and informaton

For Gisborne, New Zealand, 3 km from Cliffs.

Next High Water: 09:20pm | 1.77m

Next Low Water: 03:02pm | 0.67m

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

Cliffs Sea Temperature

Cloudy and warm but the water temperature at Cliffs will be noticeably colder than the air today. Most surfers will need a spring wetsuit. Feeling warmer out of the water than in the sea today.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 16.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite