Gnarlies Surf Guide

Gnarlies in The Wairarapa is an exposed reef break that has fairly consistent surf, although summer tends to be mostly flat. Offshore winds blow from the northwest and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Waves can be ok even in light onshore winds Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the optimum swell angle is from the east. No reef break here. Relatively few surfers here, even on good days. Beware of rips, rocks, seals.

Gnarlies Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef3fairly consistent
14.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Gnarlies:

The best conditions reported for surf at Gnarlies occur when a East swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Explore Gnarlies Location Map

Interactive Gnarlies surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail.

  • 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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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Gnarlies Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 18:33 Local Time
Wednesday 06Thu
3PM6PM9PM0AM
Wave (m)
1.1
SSW
1
SSW
0.9
SSW
0.8
SSW
Period (s) 14 14 14 14
Wind (km/h)
30
25
25
25
Wind State off off off off

Swell History at Gnarlies

Surf stats for Gnarlies, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Gnarlies

Wind stats for Gnarlies, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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