Snow-ForecastSnow-ForecastMountain-ForecastMountain-ForecastTide-ForecastTide-ForecastWeather-ForecastWeather-Forecast
Search by country, region, or break
Search by country, region, or break

Quick Links

Surf Forecasts:

Farewell Spit surf break

Farewell Spit surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 pm Monday 12 Jan 2026 NZDT
Forecast 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
18.3° C
 (Which is slightly warmer than usual)

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 Tuesday (Jan 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 9s. 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 2.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jan 12) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Jan 18) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Tue 13th Jan)4.5ft (1.3m) 12s
Best Surf 1AM (Tue 13th Jan)4.5ft (1.3m) 12s
Most Powerful 4PM (Mon 12th Jan)8ft (2.5m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Farewell Spit over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Tue afternoon, calm by Wed night).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, near gales from the ESE by Sat night).

Monday
12
Tuesday
13
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
2
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
2.4
WNW
2.5
W
1.3
W
1.3
W
2.2
W
0.4
NW
0.6
NNW
1.1
NW
0.6
W
0.4
W
0.5
W
0.7
W
0.6
W
0.6
W
0.6
W
0.5
W
1.2
E
0.4
WSW
0.3
WSW
0.3
WSW
0.3
WSW
Period(s) (?)1111121161413131015151514141313612121213
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)13711397456388333541164187173113212144134125828947272733
Wind
(km/h)
35
W
45
W
10
SE
10
W
50
W
45
W
30
W
30
WNW
5
NE
30
SE
25
ESE
20
ESE
15
SE
5
WNW
15
SE
25
ESE
30
E
50
ESE
45
ESE
40
E
45
ESE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		crosscrosscrosscrosscrossglasscross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		glasscross-
off		cross-
off		crosscross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
5:45PM
2.48
6:26AM
2.45
6:49PM
2.42
7:31AM
2.46
7:55PM
2.44
8:31AM
2.55
8:53PM
2.53
9:24AM
2.68
9:43PM
2.65
10:09AM
2.82
10:27PM
2.78
10:50AM
2.97
11:07PM
2.90
Low Tide
/ height (m)
11:35AM
0.96
12:07AM
0.90
12:39PM
1.03
1:10AM
0.94
1:45PM
1.02
2:11AM
0.90
2:45PM
0.93
3:06AM
0.80
3:36PM
0.80
3:54AM
0.67
4:21PM
0.65
4:36AM
0.52
5:02PM
0.51
Monday
12
Tuesday
13
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Sunrise6:11--6:11--6:13--6:15--6:16--6:16--6:18--
Sunset-9:00--9:00--9:00--9:00--9:00--8:59--8:59-
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
heavy rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
Rain (mm)
-------134435---------
Temp. °C181815151616161616151616171818171716161515
Feels °C (?)991187811111510131316191913128877
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Latest Updates

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves
Ben Mondy

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves

Huntington, Dribbleton, Virginia, Holland and the Superbank! We recently had a look at the world’s most consistent waves. This was based on the combination of swells and wind directed at 7,000 surf spots, as compiled from our data since 2006. Those stats, represented in easy-to-read graphics, are located under each wave’s spot guides, with historical swell and wind breakdowns available by month, season, and year. There is also an offshore filter, which shows how often the swells come with clean

Read more

Read more

Discover more articles and updates in the Greenroom.

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Farewell Spit:

join our community of surf reporters

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 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.

View detailed surf forecast for Farewell Spit at:
surf-forecast.com

false

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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest