Surf Forecasts:
Cobden Breakwater surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, W swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, W swell with 6,307 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period with W 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 14s 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 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 9s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cobden Breakwater over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, listen up. Rusty here.
We’ve got a proper mixed bag on the cards for Cobden Breakwater. The next couple of weeks are looking a bit wild, with some proper solid swells but the wind is going to be a right pain in the neck a lot of the time. The water temp is sitting at about 55°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for the time of year.
Alright, let’s talk about the standout. If you can get a day off, the morning of Saturday the 5th of September is looking like the one to aim for; it’s a shame the swell will be too big for this spot. Actually, the best shot we’ve got for a proper paddle is the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. It’s the first thing on the cards. You’ve got a clean 7ft swell rolling in from the West with a 13-second period, that’s a solid bit of groundswell with some proper energy behind it (1422). The wind is glassy, just a light Easterly breeze. It’s going to be clean as a whistle for experienced surfers. The swell direction from the West is a good match for what this break likes.
After that, the wind turns ugly. Thursday the 3rd of September deals up a messy 8ft with a cross-onshore breeze. The swell is still there but the quality will be rubbish.
The weekend from the 4th of September is a write-off for paddle surfing. We’ve got massive swell – 12ft to 13ft - and onshore gales. The energy is off the charts (over 3000, even 5000+ on Saturday), but it’s going to be a total washing machine. If you’ve got a kite, that Saturday morning might be more interesting than a surfboard.
The swell drops a bit for Sunday the 6th, still big at 10ft, but the wind swings around to a howling North cross-off. It will be a clean face, but the size and power (5152) will make it an expert-only zone. Then Monday the 7th of September cleans up nicely. We’ve got an 8ft west swell in the morning with a clean cross-off breeze, and the afternoon looks even better with a glassy 8ft. The wave energy is still high, and the conditions look mint.
There’s a lull after that. The surf gets smaller and the wind starts playing games again. Tuesday the 8th down to a tiny 4ft, and it’s just messy.
Then we get another pulse. Saturday the 12th of September looks promising for a late call, with a 6ft groundswell from the WSW (15-second period) and a clean offshore breeze from the ENE in the morning (1805). That’s a window that could be decent.
The second week looks less reliable. The 13th and 14th of September bring a lot of onshore wind and lumpy conditions. A brief moment of calm appears on the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September with a glassy 4ft, but it’s small.
Looking further out, the 17th of September has a 6ft swell from the WSW with an offshore easterly breeze in the afternoon. That’s worth a look, but it’s a long way away, so don’t hold your breath.
So, to sum it up: the first couple of days are a tease with a clean session on Wednesday the 2nd, but you’ll have to dodge a lot of wind and massive waves to get anything good. The best clean window looks like Monday the 7th of September.
Catch you in the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 66mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, strong winds from the NNW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 60mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 13 | W 14 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WSW 10 | WSW 14 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 12 | W 14 | W 14 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | NW 10 | W 13 | W 12 | W 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1422 | 1368 | 509 | 845 | 363 | 1030 | 2187 | 3038 | 5224 | 5633 | 5347 | 5875 | 5152 | 2062 | 1799 | 2235 | 1624 | 573 | 380 | 269 | 847 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 1:48PM3.10m | 2:10AM3.09m | 2:36PM2.97m | 3:07AM2.93m | 3:37PM2.83m | 4:20AM2.79m | 4:56PM2.74m | 5:44AM2.74m | 6:22PM2.77m | 7:02AM2.80m | 7:37PM2.91m | 8:11AM2.94m | 8:39PM3.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:58PM0.84m | 8:26AM0.90m | 8:50PM0.99m | 9:22AM1.06m | 9:58PM1.12m | 10:34AM1.20m | 11:22PM1.18m | 12:00PM1.23m | 00:46AM1.10m | 1:21PM1.12m | 1:57AM0.94m | 2:26PM0.94m | 2:54AM0.74m | ||||||||
7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | — | 3 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 8 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 13 | — | WSW 14 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | WSW 14 | — | — | — | W 14 | W 14 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | NW 10 | W 13 | W 12 | W 10 | WSW 10 | WNW 10 | W 10 |
1422 | — | 273 | 845 | 241 | 1030 | — | — | — | 5633 | 5347 | 5875 | 5152 | 2062 | 1799 | 2235 | 1624 | 573 | 326 | 269 | 847 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 14 | WSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 15 | NW 10 | NW 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WSW 9 | WSW 21 |
— | — | — | 153 | 363 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1346 | 626 | 262 | 477 | 380 | 124 | 90 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | WSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | N 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | — |
— | — | — | — | 346 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 67 | 52 | 46 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 14 | W 8 | — | — | NW 6 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 12 | — | — | — | — | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 1368 | 509 | — | — | 263 | 2187 | 3038 | 5224 | — | — | — | — | 1682 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 190 | 156 | 122 | 38 | 190 | 210 | 210 | 202 | 190 | 190 | 190 | 190 | 206 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 48 | 85 | 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.











