Farewell Spit surf break

Farewell Spit surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 pm Saturday 19 Jul 2025 NZST
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
13.8° C
(Which is 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 Sunday (Jul 20) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 18s period. 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 1.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 20) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 22) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Sun 20th Jul)5ft (1.5m) 18s
Best Surf 6AM (Sun 20th Jul)5ft (1.5m) 18s
Most Powerful 3AM (Sun 20th Jul)5ft (1.5m) 18s

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

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Very mild (max 10°C on Tue night, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
20
Monday
21
Tuesday
22
Wednesday
23
Thursday
24
Friday
25
Sat
26
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.5
W
1.5
W
1.4
W
1.3
W
1.3
W
1.4
W
1.5
W
1.3
W
1.2
W
1.5
W
1.4
W
1.2
W
1
W
0.8
W
0.6
W
0.5
W
0.3
W
0.3
W
0.4
W
0.4
W
0.5
W
Period(s) (?)191716161616151414161514141313121215141312
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy (?)167812409888328219599437026731145872591369223124804765615998
Wind
(km/h)
20
SE
5
SE
15
WNW
25
SE
5
SSW
5
W
15
ESE
20
SE
15
ESE
10
SSE
5
SSE
5
ESE
10
SSE
10
SE
10
E
15
SE
15
ESE
15
ESE
15
SE
0
ESE
15
WNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off
cross-
off
crosscross-
off
glasscrosscross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
offcross-
off
offcross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
glasscross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
5:00AM
2.79
5:42PM
2.78
6:12AM
2.76
6:53PM
2.84
7:23AM
2.81
7:58PM
2.96
8:26AM
2.91
8:56PM
3.10
9:22AM
3.02
9:48PM
3.23
10:11AM
3.10
10:34PM
3.32
10:56AM
3.15
Low Tide
/ height (m)
10:48PM
0.66
11:24AM
0.58
12:00AM
0.68
12:33PM
0.58
1:11AM
0.62
1:39PM
0.51
2:15AM
0.50
2:39PM
0.40
3:12AM
0.37
3:32PM
0.29
4:03AM
0.25
4:20PM
0.20
4:49AM
0.17
5:04PM
0.15
Sunday
20
Monday
21
Tuesday
22
Wednesday
23
Thursday
24
Friday
25
Sat
26
Sunrise-7:45--7:45--7:43--7:43--7:41--7:41--7:41-
Sunset--5:24--5:24--5:25--5:27--5:28--5:29--5:30
clearpart cloudclearpart cloudpart cloudclearpart cloudpart cloudclearclearclearclearclearpart cloudclearclearclearclearclearclearclear
Rain (mm)
---------------------
Temp. °C11101210101110910109101091010910101112
Feels °C (?)687789646667757747699
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for Nelson - West Coast

  1. Most of the ingredients were right at this fickle spot at high tide on Saturday afternoon but it fell short because the tide was too full allowing cross-waves from the back of the next bay west to disorganise the shoulder to head-high very long period thick waves. Occasionally lined up. Sunny with a very light offshore.

    Farewell Spit
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21 km away, 1 h 25 min ago

15 km/h
SSE
8.3
13.8
Air / Water (°C)
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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 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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