Surf Forecasts:
Fitzroy Beach surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 15s period, WSW swell with 2,020 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 15s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fitzroy Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Fitzroy Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Fitzroy Beach in the next 16 days are 2.2m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) 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 0.8m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fitzroy Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Fitzroy Beach over the coming weeks.
The first proper surf shows up on Sunday the 16th, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag to start. We’ve got a solid 7ft swell pushing in from the WSW with a very long 15 second period, which means proper groundswell energy and power – the combined energy is a hefty 2424, so there’s a fair bit of water moving. The wind is a fresh SSE offshore, keeping things clean. It’s rated as marginal though, likely due to tide issues, so don’t expect perfection. Water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year.
Monday the 17th is a step down in size to 5ft, but the wind stays kind with a gentle cross-offshore breeze. The long period (15 seconds) is still there, giving the waves shape and punch. It’s clean and should be fairly consistent. Tuesday the 18th morning is more of the same with 5ft swell and light cross-off winds, but the afternoon turns ugly with a WSW cross-shore wind making it messy.
The real standout in this first week is Wednesday the 19th through to Thursday the 20th morning. On Wednesday we get 5ft and 4ft swells with light to near-glass winds out of the SSE. The combined energy sits around 1028 to 1104, which is moderate but with that WSW direction (right in the sweet spot) and clean conditions, it will be worth a paddle. Then Thursday morning is absolute gold – glassy conditions, zero wind, and a 5ft groundswell at 14 seconds. That’s the pick of the first week, no doubt. The water is calm, waves are clean, and it’ll be a joy.
Thursday afternoon and Friday see the quality drop off fast with onshore winds and choppy, poor surf. From Friday through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s pretty grim – onshore slop with rain showers and gusty winds. Saturday morning even has a short period windswell of 6ft at just 7 seconds – not worth your time.
Now, the second week gets interesting again but comes with a warning. Monday the 24th sees a big jump in size: 10ft to 12ft from the west, with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s serious energy (5242 to 5933). This is expert-only territory. The wind is cross-shore to cross-onshore, so it’ll be lumpy and tough. Only for the brave and experienced. That big groundswell will be breaking straight at the beach – points and reefs would be better, but we only have Fitzroy Beach here.
Tuesday the 25th through Wednesday the 26th stay big (7ft to 10ft) but the wind swings onshore and it’s messy, with rain and even a risk of thunderstorms on Wednesday arvo. Not a good time.
The final weekend starts to look promising again. Saturday the 29th is a nice setup: 6ft to 7ft swell, offshore winds, and clean conditions. The period drops to 7-8 seconds, so it’s more of a windswell, but the offshore breeze will keep it tidy. Combined energy is moderate at 773 to 1113. Then Sunday the 30th gets bigger again – 8ft to 10ft from the WNW with 10 second period and fresh offshore winds. It’ll be powerful and clean, but again, that’s bigger stuff only for experienced surfers.
Monday the 31st has a drop back to 5ft and then a tiny 3ft in the afternoon with a very long 18 second period – clean but small.
So overall, the top session is Thursday 20th morning with glassy conditions and solid 5ft groundswell. Wednesday 19th is also very good. The big swells on the 24th and 30th are for experts only. Avoid the 22nd to 26th unless you love choppy onshore mush.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Sun afternoon). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Sun afternoon, light winds from the SE by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
2288 | 1993 | 962 | 716 | 1114 | 866 | 817 | 489 | 489 | 679 | 1393 | 996 | 799 | 595 | 440 | 501 | 316 | 318 | 850 | 1210 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 00:16AM3.16m | 12:38PM2.98m | 00:55AM2.96m | 1:19PM2.81m | 1:35AM2.74m | 2:02PM2.62m | 2:20AM2.51m | 2:53PM2.44m | 3:14AM2.32m | 3:57PM2.30m | 4:26AM2.20m | 5:18PM2.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:11PM0.12m | 6:35AM0.16m | 6:52PM0.31m | 7:15AM0.35m | 7:34PM0.53m | 7:57AM0.56m | 8:20PM0.76m | 8:44AM0.77m | 9:14PM0.95m | 9:42AM0.94m | 10:22PM1.08m | 10:53AM1.02m | 11:39PM1.10m | |||||||
— | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | |
mm | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 13 |
Temp °C | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
Feels °C | -1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 20 |
2288 | 1993 | 962 | 716 | 1114 | 866 | 817 | 489 | 489 | 425 | 1393 | 996 | 799 | 595 | 440 | 501 | 316 | 160 | 102 | 198 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | WSW 14 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 24 | W 22 | WSW 13 |
136 | 75 | 372 | 346 | — | — | — | 326 | 394 | 679 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 39 | 17 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 145 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | S 8 | SSW 3 | — | — | SW 3 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | W 4 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 |
28 | 21 | 66 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 25 | 122 | 318 | 850 | 1210 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 98 | 98 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 199 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 87 | 108 | 248 | 248 | 248 | 251 | 108 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Taranaki | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Fitzroy Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Fitzroy Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fitzroy Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fitzroy Beach 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 (Fitzroy Beach) 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 Fitzroy Beach 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 Taranaki? If you are looking for accommodation near Fitzroy Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Taranaki, consider staying in New Plymouth which is 3 km (2 miles) away.











