Surf Forecasts:
Cobden Beach - The Channel surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, WNW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, W swell with 5,633 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 14s period. 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 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cobden Beach - The Channel over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here with the imperial version. Let’s cut to it.
The big news is a serious run of west groundswell, and the one to circle on your calendar is Friday morning.
Monday morning we’re looking at a clean 5ft swell out of the WSW with a long 15-second period, light cross-off breeze, and water temp sitting at 54°F – right about average for the time of year. The energy reading is 1203, which is solid. It’s a powerful, consistent swell but the wave comment flags it for experienced surfers only. Monday afternoon gets cross-on and a bit sloppy, so morning is where it’s at. Tuesday goes glassy with a 4ft swell – clean but small.
The gem of the whole forecast is Friday, September 18th, morning. We’ve got a 5ft WSW swell, 15-second period, combined energy of 2309, and light cross-off breeze from the south. That’s about as clean as it gets for an exposed channel break like Cobden Beach - The Channel. The swell direction is right on the money. Crowds are rare here, so you’re looking at quality waves without a crowd. Friday afternoon jumps to 8ft but the wind turns and it gets too big for the spot.
Saturday through Tuesday is all oversized west swell – 8ft to 13ft – but the wind is either cross-on or messy, and the advice is it’s too big or poor. That’s a stretch of days for the big wave crew only, and even then it’s not clean. Wednesday the 23rd still has 12ft swell but clean in the morning with a light offshore – again, expert territory.
Thursday the 24th gives us another morning window: 6ft WSW swell at 14 seconds, light cross-off, clean, and excellent for experienced surfers. After that, the wind goes onshore and the quality fades through the weekend.
So here’s the takeaway: Friday the 18th morning is your standout. Thursday the 24th morning is a solid backup. Don’t sleep on the good windows. The rest is either too big, too messy, or too small.
Rusty, out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Sat night, min 6°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Thu night, strong winds from the SW by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | NW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 9 | W 14 | W 14 | W 8 | W 10 | W 14 | W 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 886 | 1382 | 834 | 514 | 145 | 118 | 426 | 789 | 904 | 650 | 865 | 1265 | 1154 | 3157 | 885 | 2346 | 2708 | 1254 | 3017 | 5633 | 5185 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 12:30PM3.18m | 00:49AM3.14m | 1:06PM3.06m | 1:27AM2.98m | 1:42PM2.91m | 2:08AM2.81m | 2:24PM2.76m | 2:58AM2.65m | 3:15PM2.61m | 4:01AM2.53m | 4:25PM2.50m | 5:14AM2.47m | 5:45PM2.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:39PM0.64m | 7:00AM0.71m | 7:16PM0.80m | 7:37AM0.89m | 7:55PM0.97m | 8:18AM1.07m | 8:40PM1.16m | 9:05AM1.25m | 9:38PM1.32m | 10:07AM1.39m | 10:53PM1.42m | 11:25AM1.45m | 00:11AM1.42m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | |  |  | | |  | |
 | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | NW 9 | W 9 | W 14 | W 9 | W 10 | W 15 | W 9 | W 14 | — | — | — | — | W 16 |
| kJ | 317 | 1382 | 834 | 514 | 125 | 118 | 426 | 789 | 904 | 650 | 802 | 982 | 1141 | 3157 | 885 | 2346 | — | — | — | — | 5185 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | — | — | N 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 18 | — | WSW 13 | W 14 | WNW 9 | W 16 | W 15 | N 8 | WSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 886 | — | — | 3 | 145 | 98 | 6 | — | 530 | 545 | 8 | 1265 | 1154 | 12 | 834 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | N 12 | — | — | — | — | NW 9 | — | N 7 | N 9 | — | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | 197 | — | 4 | 14 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 5 | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 14 | W 8 | W 10 | W 14 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | — | — | 865 | — | — | — | — | — | 2708 | 1254 | 3017 | 5633 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 168 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 0 | 173 | 201 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 153 | 156 | 85 | 177 | 153 | 172 | 153 |
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