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Surf Forecasts:
Dinner Plates surfForecast / Catlins / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Tuesday 28 Apr 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Dinner Plates surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Dinner Plates sea temperature is
13.4° C
(Which is 2.2°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dinner Plates this week:
The surf forecast for Dinner Plates over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Apr 29) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Dinner Plates in the next 16 days are 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Apr 30) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Apr 29) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Wed 29th Apr) | 4ft (1.2m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 16ft (5.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 16ft (5.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dinner Plates over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 8°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Wed afternoon, light winds from the NW by Fri morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 1 | Saturday 2 | Sunday 3 | Monday 4 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SSW 22 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | |
480 | 1011 | 842 | 1231 | 5311 | 4102 | 2987 | 1922 | 1349 | 1800 | 2432 | 1994 | 1203 | 701 | 480 | 398 | 282 | 286 | 187 | 407 | 458 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | off | off | |
High Tide | 00:24AM2.10m | 12:44PM2.12m | 1:05AM2.10m | 1:25PM2.13m | 1:44AM2.09m | 2:04PM2.13m | 2:21AM2.07m | 2:43PM2.11m | 2:59AM2.04m | 3:23PM2.08m | 3:39AM1.99m | 4:04PM2.03m | 4:20AM1.93m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:06PM0.26m | 6:27AM0.28m | 6:48PM0.27m | 7:07AM0.28m | 7:28PM0.30m | 7:46AM0.29m | 8:08PM0.34m | 8:24AM0.32m | 8:48PM0.39m | 9:04AM0.37m | 9:30PM0.45m | 9:46AM0.43m | 10:14PM0.53m | 10:31AM0.49m | |||||||
 |  | |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:46 |
 | 5:44 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:35 | — | 5:32 |
— | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
9 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
 kJ | 180 | 1011 | 842 | 980 | 5 | 4102 | 2987 | 1922 | 1349 | 1800 | 2432 | 1994 | 1203 | 701 | 480 | 398 | 282 | 286 | 187 | 407 | 458 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 22 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SE 12 | — | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | SSW 9 | S 8 | S 8 | — | ENE 4 | — |
| kJ | 480 | 239 | 423 | 5 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | 28 | 12 | 1 | — | 3 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SW 13 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 29 | 88 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 4 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | — | — | WNW 3 | — | — | — | NW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | NNW 2 | NNW 3 | E 7 | — | NE 2 |
| kJ | 7 | 16 | 17 | 1231 | 5311 | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 16 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 37 | 0 | 48 | 115 | 37 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 37 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Catlins | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Dinner Plates 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 Dinner Plates Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Dinner Plates provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Dinner Plates can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Dinner Plates 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 (Dinner Plates) 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 Dinner Plates 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.
Ding Dangs is 2 km (1 miles) from the city of Mossel Bay. If you plan a holiday in Garden Route, look for hotels and other accommodation in Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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