Happy Jacks Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Happy Jacks Surf Guide

Happy Jacks in Gisborne and Mahia is an exposed reef and point break that has quite reliable surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the west and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Still reasonable in light onshore winds Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the northeast. There is no beach break as well as left and right hand reef breaks. The quality of the surf isn't affected by the tide. Even when the surf is up, crowds are unknown. Watch out for rocks.

Happy Jacks Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef and point	3	fairly consistent	15.7°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, 6 May 2026, 11:43 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	S	S	S	S
Period (s)	14	17	16	15
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross	cross- on	cross- off

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: 09:10pm | 1.63m

Next Low Water: 02:58pm | 0.48m

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

Happy Jacks Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feels like 20.0 °C) at Happy Jacks, yet the sea remains several degrees colder than the air. Most surfers will need a spring wetsuit though a summer suit or even a shorty may suffice for a short session.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 15.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite