Cobden Breakwater Surf Break

Lat Long: 42.44° S 171.20° E

Cobden Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 06 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cobden Breakwater sea temperature is
12.9°C
0.7° 

Cobden Breakwater surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Cobden Breakwater surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 18s period, W swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 18s period, W swell with 8,660 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 14s period with WSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cobden Breakwater this week:

The surf forecast for Cobden Breakwater over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Cobden Breakwater in the next 16 days are 3.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 8s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Mon 7th Sep)5ft (1.5m) 14s
Best Surf 3AM (Fri 11th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 18s
Most Powerful 6AM (Fri 11th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cobden Breakwater over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Hey, Rusty here. Cobden Breakwater starts quiet, then gets proper heavy. First few days are small and clean, then it’s big-wave country for the experienced crew.

Surf kicks off Monday 7th September. Monday morning: 5ft swell from the WSW, 14-second period, cross-off ESE wind at 12 mph – clean, moderate energy (1215). Monday afternoon is the pick early on: 5ft from the WSW, 14 seconds, light offshore east wind at 6 mph – clean waves, energy 1042. Water temp is 55°F, about normal. Tuesday morning drops to 3ft from the west, 10-second period, light offshore east at 3 mph, clean but weak (387 energy). Tuesday afternoon goes cross-shore. Wednesday morning is glassy with 4ft west swell, 11-second period, 499 energy – nice but small.

Thursday 10th September jumps: 7ft morning, 7ft afternoon, both onshore from the SW at 12 mph – messy. Friday 11th morning: 12ft west swell, 18-second period, glassy with light SSW air – massive energy at 7537. That’s over 8ft, so experts only. Friday afternoon turns onshore at 22 mph – no good. Saturday 12th: 15ft morning, 13ft afternoon, strong onshore – kite-surfing conditions. Sunday 13th morning: 12ft, 12 seconds, cross-off ESE at 3 mph, clean but huge (3668 energy). Monday 14th morning: 4ft WSW swell, 15 seconds, light offshore east at 6 mph, energy 1016 – clean and great for experienced surfers. Tuesday 15th is small and choppy.

Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th September: all massive – 13ft to 16ft, mostly onshore or cross, energy from 3015 to 10719. Big-wave only. Saturday 19th morning: 8ft west swell, 17 seconds, light offshore NE at 3 mph, energy 4891 – clean, excellent for experts. Saturday afternoon holds at 8ft, 16 seconds, gentle cross-off north wind. Sunday 20th morning: 10ft NNW, short 8-second period, moderate offshore NE at 12 mph – clean but weak push. Afternoon is 15ft, too big. Monday 21st morning: 8ft west swell, 15 seconds, glassy with light NE air, energy 5353 – exceptional for experts.

Best windows: Monday 7th afternoon for clean small waves, Monday 14th morning for a nice clean session, and Monday 21st morning for glassy, powerful, expert-level surf. Friday 11th morning is a beast if you’re game. The rest is either tiny or enormous.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 6°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 11°C on Wed afternoon, min 4°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, strong winds from the WSW by Sat morning).

Sun
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
3
4
2
2
1
2
2
1
2
1
1
7
!
0
0
0
0
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
WSW
16
1.9
WSW
15
1.6
WSW
14
1.5
WSW
14
1
WSW
10
1
W
10
1.1
W
12
0.8
WSW
11
1.2
W
11
1.3
WSW
11
1.2
W
10
2
W
16
2.2
W
15
3
W
19
3.5
W
18
3
W
17
4
W
11
4.5
WSW
11
4
W
10
5
WSW
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2979
1708
966
815
214
188
341
164
338
400
314
1985
2090
6833
7537
5313
4216
4770
3353
4800
Wind (km/h)
25
NW
20
ESE
20
ESE
10
E
10
E
5
E
5
NNW
5
E
5
E
15
W
15
N
20
SW
15
WSW
10
ESE
5
SSW
35
SW
45
WSW
45
WSW
50
WSW
5
SE
Wind State
cross
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
cross
cross-off
glassy
on
cross-off
on
on
cross-off
glassy
on
on
on
on
cross-off
High Tide
6:22PM2.77m
7:02AM2.80m
7:37PM2.91m
8:11AM2.94m
8:39PM3.09m
9:07AM3.09m
9:29PM3.26m
9:56AM3.21m
10:14PM3.38m
10:38AM3.29m
10:56PM3.42m
11:18AM3.31m
11:35PM3.38m
Low Tide
00:46AM1.10m
1:21PM1.12m
1:57AM0.94m
2:26PM0.94m
2:54AM0.74m
3:19PM0.74m
3:44AM0.57m
4:05PM0.58m
4:28AM0.46m
4:46PM0.49m
5:08AM0.43m
5:25PM0.47m
heavy rain
mod rain
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
mod rain
light rain
thunderstorm
part cloud
mod rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:50
6:50
6:48
6:46
6:43
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:14
6:15
6:15
6:16
6:17
6:19
6:20
 mm
14
8
2
8
5
3
6
2
5
2
2
Temp °C
14
11
10
11
7
11
11
9
12
11
10
9
9
7
9
10
9
9
9
8
Feels °C
10
10
5
7
4
9
9
7
10
7
5
4
4
3
4
2
-1
-1
-2
0
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Cobden Breakwater:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Breakwater 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 Breakwater Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Cobden Breakwater provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cobden Breakwater can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cobden Breakwater 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 Breakwater) 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 Breakwater 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 Breakwater is 172 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 locationNearest