- Forecast
- Maps
- Live
- Weather State
- Spot Information
Cobden Beach - The Channel Surf Forecast
/ West Coast South Island (21 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Cobden Beach - The Channel surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Thursday 28 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Cobden Beach - The Channel surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Cobden Beach - The Channel sea temperature is
14.5° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Cobden Beach - The Channel surf forecast from 28 May 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 31 May, 9AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 31 May, 3PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, NNW swell with 2,979 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 28 May, 6PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 13s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cobden Beach - The Channel this week:
The surf forecast for Cobden Beach - The Channel over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 28) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cobden Beach - The Channel in the next 16 days are 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 31) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jun 04) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Thu 28th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Sun 31st May) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 31st May) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cobden Beach - The Channel over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 145mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun night, min 13°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 28 | Friday 29 | Saturday 30 | Sunday 31 | Monday 1 | Tuesday 2 | Wednesday 3 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 6 | NNW 9 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | N 10 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | WSW 7 | W 8 | WSW 11 | W 11 | |
201 | 139 | 139 | 167 | 356 | 257 | 192 | 131 | 108 | 1012 | 2979 | 2104 | 1916 | 1411 | 993 | 492 | 390 | 405 | 294 | 314 | 267 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross | glassy | cross-off | |
High Tide | 9:01PM3.02m | 9:20AM3.06m | 9:40PM3.09m | 9:59AM3.11m | 10:16PM3.14m | 10:36AM3.13m | 10:52PM3.16m | 11:13AM3.13m | 11:28PM3.15m | 11:50AM3.10m | 00:04AM3.12m | 12:28PM3.05m | 00:41AM3.06m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:50PM1.11m | 3:11AM1.09m | 3:31PM1.09m | 3:51AM1.06m | 4:10PM1.07m | 4:28AM1.04m | 4:47PM1.06m | 5:03AM1.04m | 5:23PM1.06m | 5:38AM1.05m | 6:00PM1.08m | 6:15AM1.07m | 6:36PM1.09m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | 7:50 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — |
 | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 10 | 19 | 23 | 30 | 48 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 6 | NNW 9 | NNW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | W 8 | WSW 11 | W 11 |
 kJ | 201 | 70 | 59 | 105 | 356 | 257 | 192 | 131 | 108 | 1012 | 2979 | 29 | 49 | 1411 | 993 | 492 | 390 | 173 | 294 | 314 | 267 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | NE 7 | N 11 | N 11 | N 5 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | — | — | WSW 12 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 13 | W 12 | WNW 10 | N 9 |
| kJ | 28 | 139 | 139 | 167 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 59 | 30 | 31 | — | — | 46 | 61 | 55 | 65 | 163 | 171 | 131 | 28 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | SW 10 | N 7 | N 11 | — | — | N 10 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | NNW 8 | N 10 | N 9 | N 12 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 34 | 64 | 38 | 41 | 6 | 89 | 41 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NE 6 | ESE 2 | — | — | E 3 | — | NNW 10 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | WSW 7 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 2104 | 1916 | — | — | — | — | 405 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 156 | 136 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Cobden Beach - The Channel 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 Cobden Beach - The Channel Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cobden Beach - The Channel provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cobden Beach - The Channel can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cobden Beach - The Channel 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 (Cobden Beach - The Channel) 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 Cobden Beach - The Channel 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.
Cobden Beach is 173 km (107 miles) from the city of Christchurch. If you plan a holiday in West Coast South Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Christchurch. Christchurch has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest