Surf Forecasts:
Napier - Hardings Road surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, ENE swell with 928 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Napier - Hardings Road this week:
The surf forecast for Napier - Hardings Road over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Napier - Hardings Road in the next 16 days are 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 12s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Napier - Hardings Road over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s chew the fat about what’s on the cards for Napier - Hardings Road for the next couple weeks.
Honestly, it’s a rough stretch ahead. We’re lookin’ at a whole lot of flat with nothin’ to get the heart pumpin’. The water’s 53°, which is 3° colder than normal for mid-August – that’s a chilly one, so dig out the thick rubber.
The first real chance to get wet happens Friday morning the 14th. A small, weak swell will be pushin’ in at 4ft from the ENE, but it’s got only 6 seconds between waves – short-period wind swell, no real muscle. Combined energy is moderate at 209. Good enough for a beginner-friendly wave, but the big win is the wind: glassy, dead flat. That means the surface will be like a mirror, even if the waves are pretty plain. This is the only real highlight in the whole outlook. Friday afternoon gets blown out by 15 mph cross-onshore rain, so get your session in early.
Saturday morning the 15th gives you another shot with 4ft out of the east, 8-second period, and glassy conditions again. Combined energy is 234. It’s surfable but nothing special – just clean, small rollers for an easy cruise. If you’re just startin’ out, these two mornings are your best bet.
Then the tap turns off. From Sunday the 16th right through to Friday the 28th of August, it’s basically flat as a pancake. A couple of days might see a 0.3ft or 0.7ft dribble, but that’s not surf – that’s barely a ripple. No recommendations, no standouts.
For the whole 16-day window, the standout is Friday morning the 14th – that glassy 4ft ENE windswell at Hardings Road. Get out there and make the most of it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 10°C on Tue morning, min 4°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | E 7 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | S 10 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13 | 48 | 157 | 125 | 89 | 695 | 234 | 199 | 234 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 5:49PM1.85m | 6:19AM1.70m | 6:44PM1.85m | 7:14AM1.71m | 7:36PM1.82m | 8:06AM1.73m | 8:26PM1.79m | 8:55AM1.74m | 9:16PM1.74m | 9:41AM1.73m | 10:05PM1.69m | 10:28AM1.70m | 10:54PM1.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:34AM0.04m | 00:11AM0.07m | 12:27PM0.03m | 1:06AM0.07m | 1:19PM0.06m | 1:57AM0.09m | 2:12PM0.11m | 2:46AM0.14m | 3:04PM0.18m | 3:34AM0.20m | 3:56PM0.26m | 4:22AM0.28m | 4:46PM0.32m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — |
mm | 6 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 10 | — | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 12 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 53 | 28 | 48 | 84 | 89 | 302 | 234 | 199 | 234 | 177 | 135 | 471 | 614 | 925 | 976 | 553 | 399 | 297 | 331 | 297 | 149 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | S 16 | ESE 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 19 | S 19 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | — | — | S 17 | — | — | SE 12 |
| kJ | 7 | 35 | 16 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 18 | 95 | 102 | 7 | 7 | 90 | 43 | 45 | 19 | — | — | 52 | — | — | 23 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SW 15 | S 19 | ESE 13 | S 18 | — | — | S 19 | S 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 17 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 25 | — | — | 7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | — | ENE 8 | — | — | — | S 7 | S 10 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | — | SW 3 | SSW 3 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | 13 | 48 | 157 | 125 | — | 695 | — | — | — | 59 | 216 | 14 | 17 | 27 | 9 | 14 | 11 | — | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 20 | 46 | 14 | 1 | 167 | 46 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 167 | 171 | 215 | 238 | 238 | 230 | 230 | 225 | 3 | 3 | 225 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Hawkes Bay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Napier - Hardings Road Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Napier - Hardings Road provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Napier - Hardings Road can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Napier - Hardings Road 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 (Napier - Hardings Road) 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 Napier - Hardings Road 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.
Napier - Hardings Road is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Napier. If you plan a holiday in Hawkes Bay, look for hotels and other accommodation in Napier. Napier has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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