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Farewell Spit surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand
12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Wednesday 03 Sep 2025 NZST
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 Sunday (Sep 07) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Farewell Spit in the next 12 days are 2.3m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 07) 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 1.4m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 09) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sun 7th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 7th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 7th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Farewell Spit over the next 12 days.
Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, near gales from the NW by Thu night). | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 12°C on Sat morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the WSW by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 03 | Thursday 04 | Friday 05 | Saturday 06 | Sunday 07 | Monday 08 | Tuesday 09 | |||||||||||||||
| AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Rating (10 max) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
| Wave Height (m) & direction (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Period(s) (?) | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 12 |
Wave (?)Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Energy (?) | 1285 | 1434 | 1088 | 609 | 388 | 627 | 1334 | 1313 | 1154 | 1445 | 1518 | 1473 | 1946 | 2106 | 1117 | 685 | 504 | 417 | 7 | 114 | 754 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross- on | cross- on | cross- on | cross | cross- off | cross- off | glass | cross- off | cross- off | cross- off | off | cross- off | cross- off | cross- off | cross | cross |
High Tide / height (m) | 6:39PM 2.47 | 7:09AM 2.46 | 7:39PM 2.67 | 8:03AM 2.67 | 8:27PM 2.91 | 8:49AM 2.90 | 9:09PM 3.15 | 9:31AM 3.12 | 9:48PM 3.36 | 10:10AM 3.30 | 10:28PM 3.51 | 10:50AM 3.42 | 11:07PM 3.57 | ||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 12:17PM 1.02 | 12:58AM 0.98 | 1:21PM 0.84 | 1:55AM 0.75 | 2:12PM 0.61 | 2:41AM 0.48 | 2:57PM 0.38 | 3:23AM 0.22 | 3:38PM 0.16 | 4:03AM 0.01 | 4:18PM 0.00 | 4:43AM -0.13 | 4:58PM -0.08 | ||||||||
Wednesday 03 | Thursday 04 | Friday 05 | Saturday 06 | Sunday 07 | Monday 08 | Tuesday 09 | |||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | 6:50 | - | - | 6:48 | - | - | 6:47 | - | - | 6:45 | - | - | 6:43 | - | - | 6:41 | - | - | 6:39 | - | - |
| Sunset | - | 6:06 | - | - | 6:07 | - | - | 6:07 | - | - | 6:08 | - | - | 6:09 | - | - | 6:10 | - | - | 6:12 | - |
 |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Rain (mm) | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | - | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Temp. °C | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| Feels °C (?) | 7 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
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Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Recent Eyeball Surf Reports for Nelson - West Coast
Offshore wind reported 21 km from Farewell Spit (light winds from the SSE at FarewellSpitAws 21 km from Farewell Spit). 1.8m 16s long period groundswell from the WNW with a 1.6m 13s groundswell from the W and a 0.9m 4s local chop from the E. 3 swells combining so expect closeout sets.- Offshore wind reported 28 km from Wharariki Beach (light winds from the SSE at FarewellSpitAws 28 km from Wharariki Beach). 1.8m 16s long period groundswell from the WNW with a 1.6m 13s groundswell from the W. 2 swells combining so expect closeout sets.
21 km away, 1 h 23 min ago
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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.
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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