Surf-Forecast | Happy Jacks Surf Guide

Lat Long: 39.01° S 177.90° E

Issued: 12 am 04 Nov 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in hr min

Today's Happy Jacks sea temperature is

14.9°C

Happy Jacks surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Photo by: Rob Davies

Happy Jacks Surf Guide

Happy Jacks in Gisborne and Mahia is an exposed reef and point break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Ideal winds are from the west and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Handles onshore winds better than most spots Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the northeast. No beach break here and in addition, both left and right reef breaks add variety. The quality of the surf isn't affected by the tide. Even when the surf is up, crowds are unknown. Rocks are a hazard.

Happy Jacks Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef and point	3	fairly consistent	14.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Happy Jacks:

The best conditions reported for surf at Happy Jacks occur when a Northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Happy Jacks (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Happy Jacks with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 15% of the time in January while 30% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 55% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

15%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

30%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

55%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Happy Jacks Location Map

Interactive Happy Jacks 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. The closest passenger airport to Happy Jacks is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 39 km (24 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Happy Jacks is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 148 km (92 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Happy Jacks Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 03:45 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 04
ft, °F	4AM	7AM	10AM	1PM
Wave (m)	S	S	S	S
Period (s)	15	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	cross- on	on

What does Happy Jacks look like?

Latest photos from Happy Jacks. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Happy Jacks

Current tide and informaton

For Waikokopu, New Zealand, 9 km from Happy Jacks.

Next High Water: 02:17pm | 1.67m

Next Low Water: 08:00am | 0.14m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Happy Jacks Sea Temperature

The water temperature at Happy Jacks is rather cool (14.9 °C) and the air temperature will feel similar. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit and neoprene boots.