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Surf Forecasts:
Farewell Spit surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand
48hr Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Thursday 23 Apr 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Farewell Spit surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Farewell Spit sea temperature is
16.9° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)How big are the waves at Farewell Spit today?
The current surf forecast for Farewell Spit at 3PM is: 0.4m 18s primary swell from a West direction and 0.4m 4s secondary swell from a East direction (forecast issued at 11:00am April 23). An open ocean swell of 0.4m 4s is not directed at the surf break. The wind direction is predicted to be cross-onshore.
| Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (23 Apr) | 1ft (0.3m) | 18s |
| Afternoon (23 Apr) | 1.5ft (0.4m) | 18s |
| Evening (23 Apr) | 2ft (0.6m) | 16s |
Table - waves today at Farewell Spit. (Swell directed towards the surf break)
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sun 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 AM | 12 PM | 3 PM | 6 PM | 9 PM | 12 AM | 3 AM | 6 AM | 9 AM | 12 PM | 3 PM | 6 PM | 9 PM | 12 AM | 3 AM | 6 AM | 9 AM | 12 PM | 3 PM | 6 PM | 9 PM | 12 AM | 3 AM | 6 AM | |
Swell Height Map |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
W 18 | W 18 | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | WSW 13 | W 18 | W 18 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | |
58 | 97 | 96 | 86 | 181 | 178 | 119 | 106 | 146 | 144 | 99 | 100 | 89 | 57 | 102 | 154 | 252 | 321 | 357 | 339 | 325 | 249 | 229 | 165 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 2:31PM2.78m | 3:04AM2.86m | 3:42PM2.61m | 4:19AM2.74m | 5:02PM2.55m | 5:35AM2.73m | ||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 8:21AM0.50m | 8:45PM0.60m | 9:30AM0.66m | 9:56PM0.75m | 10:46AM0.73m | 11:13PM0.79m | ||||||||||||||||||
 | | |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:05 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:09 |
 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | — | — | 5:44 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 13 | W 18 | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 18 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 |
 kJ | 28 | 97 | 96 | 86 | 181 | 178 | 119 | 106 | 146 | 144 | 99 | 100 | 89 | 57 | 56 | 154 | 252 | 321 | 357 | 339 | 325 | 249 | 229 | 165 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 18 | W 13 | E 4 | E 4 | E 4 | E 4 | W 12 | W 12 | E 3 | N 13 | N 13 | N 13 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | W 18 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | N 16 |
| kJ | 58 | 29 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 102 | 56 | 55 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 51 | 44 | 34 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 7 | SW 7 | WSW 13 | W 13 | W 6 | W 6 | E 4 | E 4 | W 5 | W 5 | — | W 21 | W 20 | W 20 | WSW 4 | W 4 | W 4 | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 |
| kJ | 4 | 2 | 55 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 9 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | E 4 | ESE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 |
| kJ | 9 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 177 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 115 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - West Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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