Surf Forecasts:
Cobden Breakwater surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 17s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 15s period, W swell with 2,269 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 17s 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 17s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cobden Breakwater in the next 16 days are 2.2m 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cobden Breakwater over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
What's happenin', crew? Rusty here, and we have some solid juice on the way for the Cobden Breakwater. Forget waitin' around, the surf shows up right from the get-go.
The main story is a long, steady run of long-period groundswell out of the WSW hitting this exposed breakwater. The ocean temp is around 55°F, which is bang on for the season. The absolute standout session is Saturday the 18th. We're talking a solid 6ft swell from the WSW with a very long 15-second period. The wave energy is pumping hard at 1619, and with that glassy SE breeze, it'll be clean and powerful. That's for the experienced surfers only – it's big and it's got a ton of punch. If you're in the advanced category, Saturday afternoon might be even better: the period stretches to 17 seconds and the energy jumps to 2212, all under glassy conditions. That's a session you'll remember for a while.
Sunday the 19th drops back to a more user-friendly 4ft, but it still carries that nice 16-second period. The morning's clean with a cross-off breeze, and the afternoon goes dead calm and glassy. This is the "very good" mark, perfect for intermediates looking to get some quality waves without the fear factor of the day before.
Monday the 20th keeps the quality high with 5ft and 4ft waves and clean, glassy conditions. Tuesday the 21st is still good in the morning under glass, but the afternoon gets a bit ordinary as the wind swings onshore. Wednesday the 22nd goes tiny – only 2ft – so it's a quiet day for a small-wave paddle.
The energy builds again from Thursday the 23rd, with clean 4ft waves leading into another solid weekend. Now, Sunday the 26th of July is the next major headliner. We are looking at a massive 10ft swell from the W at 14 seconds with a humongous 3470 energy. That's a very long-period, very powerful groundswell. At that size, it's for hardcore experts only. The wind is clean, but that kind of period can make the breakwater a bit straight and heavy. Saturday the 25th is a slightly smaller, but still excellent, pre-game with 7ft waves and glassy conditions.
The surf stays strong and consistent through the end of July. The start of August gets a bit choppier, with Saturday the 1st showing some messy onshore wind in the afternoon and Sunday the 2nd offering clean 6ft surf but from a short-period, 8-second wind swell. It's rideable, but not on the level of those earlier groundswell days. The long and short of it: if you are an experienced surfer, do not miss the 18th or the 26th. For everyone else, the 19th and 20th are your best bets for clean, fun waves.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | W 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 13 | W 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NW 8 | WSW 12 | W 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1619 | 2212 | 1940 | 730 | 648 | 1048 | 754 | 627 | 490 | 466 | 244 | 142 | 95 | 125 | 623 | 581 | 492 | 212 | 413 | 706 | 1577 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 1:39PM3.26m | 1:58AM3.31m | 2:24PM3.11m | 2:46AM3.13m | 3:10PM2.95m | 3:36AM2.95m | 4:01PM2.81m | 4:32AM2.80m | 4:57PM2.70m | 5:33AM2.71m | 6:01PM2.66m | 6:36AM2.69m | 7:06PM2.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:45PM0.72m | 8:15AM0.75m | 8:31PM0.88m | 9:02AM0.94m | 9:20PM1.06m | 9:50AM1.12m | 10:13PM1.23m | 10:43AM1.29m | 11:14PM1.37m | 11:43AM1.41m | 00:20AM1.44m | 12:49PM1.46m | 1:25AM1.45m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | |  |  |  |  | |  | | | |  |  | | | |
 | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — |
 | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 23 | 9 | 3 | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | W 10 | W 9 | W 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 13 | W 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | W 11 |
| kJ | 1619 | 2212 | 1940 | 408 | 295 | 1048 | 754 | 627 | 490 | 466 | 244 | 142 | 95 | 107 | 623 | 581 | 492 | 212 | 413 | 314 | 1577 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | NNW 11 | NNW 11 | N 5 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | NNW 4 | NNW 10 | N 9 | WSW 13 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | WSW 12 | N 6 | W 17 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 730 | 648 | 24 | 39 | 14 | 38 | 35 | 7 | 37 | 16 | 125 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 252 | 41 | 576 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 11 | NNW 12 | — | — | NNW 11 | N 5 | W 18 | NNW 10 | WSW 16 | W 4 | N 9 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 18 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 2 | 13 | — | — | 39 | 4 | 27 | 34 | 51 | 2 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | 112 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | — | — | NE 3 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | — | WSW 12 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 31 | 196 | — | 706 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 7 | 201 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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