Nazare Big Wave Challenge Gets Yellow Alert, Could Run Saturday in Giant Waves
70-foot plus waves predicted for Portuguese big wave tow surfing competition.
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Farewell Spit surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand
12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 6 pm Saturday 13 Dec 2025 NZDTForecast 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
17.5° C
(Which is 1.4°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Farewell Spit this week:
The surf forecast for Farewell Spit over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Dec 13) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Farewell Spit in the next 12 days are 2.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Dec 17) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Dec 20) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 13th Dec) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Tue 16th Dec) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 17th Dec) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Farewell Spit over the next 12 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Sat afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Sat night, strong winds from the NNW by Mon night). | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Wed morning, calm by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 13 | Sunday 14 | Monday 15 | Tuesday 16 | Wednesday 17 | Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | |||||||||||||||||
| PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |||
Rating (10 max) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||
| Wave Height (m) & direction (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period(s) (?) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 8 | ||
Wave (?)Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ (?) | 280 | 177 | 130 | 127 | 66 | 46 | 123 | 273 | 779 | 613 | 2053 | 2600 | 1873 | 1175 | 769 | 555 | 344 | 160 | 5 | 171 | 273 | ||
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | cross | off | cross- off | cross- on | cross | on | cross- on | on | cross- on | cross | cross- off | cross- off | cross- off | cross- off | cross- on | cross | off | off | cross | cross | cross- off | ||
High Tide / height (m) | 5:47PM 2.63 | 6:26AM 2.53 | 6:47PM 2.58 | 7:25AM 2.56 | 7:43PM 2.58 | 8:17AM 2.63 | 8:33PM 2.63 | 9:03AM 2.73 | 9:20PM 2.70 | 9:46AM 2.83 | 10:02PM 2.78 | 10:26AM 2.92 | 10:43PM 2.85 | 11:05AM 3.00 | |||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 12:10AM 0.76 | 12:34PM 0.89 | 1:06AM 0.77 | 1:33PM 0.89 | 1:59AM 0.74 | 2:26PM 0.83 | 2:47AM 0.69 | 3:14PM 0.75 | 3:31AM 0.62 | 3:57PM 0.66 | 4:13AM 0.54 | 4:38PM 0.57 | 4:52AM 0.47 | ||||||||||
Sat 13 | Sunday 14 | Monday 15 | Tuesday 16 | Wednesday 17 | Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | ||
| Sunset | 8:52 | - | - | 8:53 | - | - | 8:54 | - | - | 8:54 | - | - | 8:55 | - | - | 8:57 | - | - | 8:57 | - | - | ||
 |  | | | |  | |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | |||
Rain (mm) | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | 21 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Temp. °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | ||
| Feels °C (?) | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 10 | ||
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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 Farewell Spit 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.
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Information about the Farewell Spit Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Farewell Spit provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Farewell Spit can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Farewell Spit 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 (Farewell Spit) 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 Farewell Spit 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Nelson - West Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Farewell Spit, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nelson - West Coast, consider staying in Nelson which is 96 km (60 miles) away.
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