Cobden Breakwater Surf Break

Lat Long: 42.44° S 171.20° E

Cobden Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 09 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cobden Breakwater sea temperature is
13.4° 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 9 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, W swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, W swell with 3,423 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 16s 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 Friday (Jul 10) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 16s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Cobden Breakwater in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Fri 10th Jul)4ft (1.2m) 16s
Best Surf 6AM (Wed 15th Jul)8ft (2.5m) 15s
Most Powerful12PM (Wed 15th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 14s

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


Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down Cobden Breakwater in feet and Fahrenheit.

The next couple of weeks look good. Starting this Friday, the 10th of July, we’ve got a long run of groundswell from the WSW. The water temp is a bit cooler than the long-term average for this time of year, so you’ll want a thicker wetsuit.

The standout is Wednesday the 15th of July. That morning, the swell hits 10ft from the W with a 15-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 3339. That’s serious power. Wind is offshore from the NE, so it’s clean and lined up. This is for experienced surfers only – too big for beginners. The afternoon gets cross-shore, so get in early.

Before that, the weekend is solid. Friday the 10th starts with clean 4ft WSW swell, glassy in the afternoon. Saturday the 11th is even better – glassy again, dead calm wind in the afternoon. Sunday the 12th holds clean 4ft waves. Monday the 13th sees a shift to a shorter-period NNW swell, but still clean.

Tuesday the 14th afternoon is a treat – swell swings back to the W, 6ft with a 13-second period, energy at 1315. Light cross-off wind, clean and punchy.

After the big Wednesday, things settle. Thursday the 16th is onshore and messy. Friday the 17th is back to clean, fun 4ft WSW swell. Saturday the 18th sees another NNW pulse, 8ft to 8ft, clean – another good one for the experienced crew.

The second week trails off into smaller, cleaner waves. From the 19th to the 22nd, we’re looking at waist-to-chest high WSW groundswell, often glassy. Crowds are rare. By the 23rd and 24th, it’s small and weak, but the 25th of July shows a little pulse back to 3ft.

Overall, the first week is the real deal. Wednesday the 15th morning is the best – big, clean, and powerful. Saturday the 18th is another standout. The rest of the window has plenty of fun, clean waves for the average surfer.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Sun afternoon, min 2°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue afternoon, min 8°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thu
16
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
4
3
4
4
5
3
4
2
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
WSW
18
1.2
WSW
16
1.1
WSW
16
1
WSW
15
1.2
WSW
16
1.2
WSW
16
1.2
WSW
16
1.1
WSW
15
1.1
WSW
15
0.9
WSW
14
1.7
NNW
7
2.2
NNW
8
3
NW
9
1.3
WNW
10
1.7
W
13
2
WNW
11
3
W
15
3
W
14
2.3
W
14
2
W
15
2
W
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
521
758
628
456
797
768
758
566
551
346
294
619
1441
293
942
1027
3339
3148
2155
1695
1718
Wind (km/h)
20
ESE
15
E
5
ESE
10
ESE
10
ESE
0
ESE
10
ESE
10
E
10
NNE
15
ENE
15
NE
20
NE
5
SE
5
ENE
10
NNE
10
NE
15
NE
20
NNW
0
SW
15
SW
15
W
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
glassy
off
cross-off
off
off
cross
glassy
cross-on
on
High Tide
6:09AM2.91m
6:47PM2.87m
7:17AM2.98m
7:53PM2.99m
8:22AM3.10m
8:55PM3.16m
9:25AM3.23m
9:53PM3.33m
10:23AM3.35m
10:46PM3.47m
11:16AM3.43m
11:37PM3.54m
12:06PM3.44m
Low Tide
11:53PM1.09m
12:27PM1.03m
1:01AM1.02m
1:35PM0.97m
2:08AM0.90m
2:41PM0.88m
3:10AM0.75m
3:41PM0.76m
4:07AM0.60m
4:35PM0.64m
5:00AM0.50m
5:26PM0.57m
5:51AM0.46m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
light rain
part cloud
mod rain
rain showers
clear
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
mod rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
8:03
8:02
8:02
8:00
8:00
8:00
8:00
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:17
5:17
5:19
5:20
5:21
5:21
5:22
 mm
2
8
5
1
16
12
2
7
Temp °C
3
7
9
5
7
9
7
9
11
9
11
12
12
11
13
11
12
12
11
11
10
Feels °C
-3
3
7
2
4
7
4
6
9
6
7
7
11
9
11
9
8
8
11
7
6
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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How to use the Wavefinder 

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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 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.

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