Surf Forecasts:
Great Exhibition Bay surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, NW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 15s period, NW swell with 566 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Great Exhibition Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Great Exhibition Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Great Exhibition Bay in the next 16 days are 1.1m 15s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 6s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Great Exhibition Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Thu morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NNW 7 | N 7 | E 12 | E 16 | NW 14 | NE 11 | NE 9 | E 12 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 40 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 227 | 44 | 5 | 5 | 284 | 18 | 14 | 3 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 9:16PM2.17m | 9:41AM2.10m | 9:56PM2.10m | 10:23AM2.05m | 10:36PM2.01m | 11:05AM1.97m | 11:16PM1.90m | 11:48AM1.88m | 11:59PM1.79m | 12:35PM1.78m | 00:46AM1.68m | 1:29PM1.69m | 1:41AM1.59m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:32AM0.07m | 3:49PM0.18m | 4:11AM0.11m | 4:31PM0.26m | 4:51AM0.19m | 5:12PM0.37m | 5:31AM0.29m | 5:56PM0.48m | 6:15AM0.40m | 6:44PM0.59m | 7:04AM0.49m | 7:38PM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 9 | — | 1 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NNW 7 | N 7 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NW 14 | WNW 11 | NE 9 | NE 9 |
| kJ | 40 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 227 | 44 | 5 | 5 | 284 | 12 | 14 | 3 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 17 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | NNE 11 | N 11 | N 11 | E 13 | NE 12 | NW 7 | E 12 | E 12 | NE 11 | NE 11 | E 11 | E 12 |
| kJ | 29 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | WNW 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | NE 13 | N 11 | E 8 | W 13 | — | — | E 13 | WNW 12 | E 10 | E 16 | NE 7 | E 12 | E 13 | — |
| kJ | 6 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 61 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | S 3 | — | SSW 2 | S 3 | SSE 2 | SSW 2 | — | — | NE 8 | NNW 3 | NNW 5 | — | W 3 | NW 6 | WNW 6 | SSW 5 | SW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 |
| kJ | 15 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 6 | 138 | — | 8 | 240 | 443 | 161 | 44 | 85 | 159 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 38 | 26 | 30 | 38 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 12 | 31 | 165 | 539 | 534 | 0 | 66 | 243 | 54 | 73 | 149 | 599 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Great Exhibition Bay 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 Great Exhibition Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Great Exhibition Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Great Exhibition Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Great Exhibition Bay 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 (Great Exhibition Bay) 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 Great Exhibition Bay 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 Northland? If you are looking for accommodation near Great Exhibition Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Northland, consider staying in Houhora which is 15 km (9 miles) away.
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