Surf Forecasts:
Cliffs surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 11s period, S swell with 1,465 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cliffs this week:
The surf forecast for Cliffs over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 21s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cliffs in the next 16 days are 2.4m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 13s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cliffs over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 5°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 15 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 17 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 76 | 52 | 58 | 121 | 723 | 1300 | 774 | 1111 | 690 | 536 | 186 | 63 | 79 | 184 | 309 | 134 | 96 | 59 | 29 | 27 | 31 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:19AM1.89m | 9:43PM1.98m | 10:00AM1.91m | 10:23PM1.98m | 10:42AM1.92m | 11:05PM1.95m | 11:28AM1.91m | 11:47PM1.92m | 12:16PM1.90m | 00:32AM1.88m | 1:05PM1.89m | 1:22AM1.83m | 1:58PM1.86m | 2:20AM1.79m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:24PM0.54m | 4:00AM0.54m | 4:05PM0.52m | 4:41AM0.50m | 4:47PM0.51m | 5:24AM0.47m | 5:31PM0.52m | 6:09AM0.46m | 6:20PM0.54m | 6:56AM0.45m | 7:14PM0.57m | 7:47AM0.47m | 8:12PM0.60m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — |
 | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 12 | 7 | -1 | -2 | -5 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 15 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | — | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 76 | 52 | 58 | 121 | 477 | 713 | — | 589 | 371 | 211 | 163 | 63 | 79 | 110 | 309 | 134 | 96 | 59 | 29 | 27 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 22 | S 20 | S 18 | — | — | — | — | — | E 18 | — | S 11 | SSE 6 | SE 13 | SSE 17 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | S 15 | SE 14 | SSE 16 | SE 14 |
| kJ | 9 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 86 | 17 | 44 | 184 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 25 | 30 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 15 | SE 13 | SSE 19 | SE 12 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | S 15 | S 19 | — | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 28 | 34 | 50 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | — | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 3 | — | — | S 6 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | SW 4 | S 6 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 28 | 723 | 1300 | 774 | 1111 | 690 | 536 | 186 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 31 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 19 | 2 | 119 | 116 | 123 | 255 | 119 | 114 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cliffs 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 Cliffs Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cliffs provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cliffs can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cliffs 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 (Cliffs) 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 Cliffs 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Gisborne and Mahia? If you are looking for accommodation near Cliffs, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Gisborne and Mahia, consider staying in Gisborne which is 6 km (4 miles) away.
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