Surf Forecasts:
Hawai River surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, NW swell with 137 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hawai River this week:
The surf forecast for Hawai River over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hawai River in the next 16 days are 1.4m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hawai River over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here again. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag for the Hawai River (Hawai). We’re looking at a long, quiet stretch to start, so don’t rush to wet a line just yet.
The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is pretty much what we’d expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there. The combined energy of all swells is just about nil for days, with readings under 5 (weak energy). That tells you all you need to know.
From Sunday the 12th all the way through to the morning of Tuesday the 21st, it’s essentially flat or rubbish. Tuesday morning the 21st sees a little 1ft pulse creep in with a clean offshore wind, but the energy is still weak (19). It’s not worth paddling out for. Tuesday afternoon the 21st is the first time we get a sniff of something real – a 2ft N swell with a period of 11 seconds and a combined energy reading of 128 (moderate wave energy). Winds are light offshore, so the river mouth could clean up, but it’s still pretty ordinary.
The real standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, hits on Wednesday the 22nd of July. Holy moly. Morning glass, an 12ft NNE swell – that’s big, expert-only territory – with a 12-second period and a combined energy of 2772 (very strong wave energy). This is a serious, long-period groundswell, which will handle beautifully on a point break like Hawai River, but it’s going to be a handful. The afternoon settles to 7ft, still excellent but demanding full respect. Winds are glassy or calm, so the surface will be perfect. The only catch? This spot is inconsistent and can get crowded “sometimes,” so expect company if you’re game.
Thursday the 23rd stays very good, with a 5ft NNE swell in the morning (combined energy 780 – strong wave energy) and clean cross-off winds, dropping to 5ft and glassy in the afternoon. Not a standout compared to Wednesday, but still a great paddle.
After that, we fade out. Friday the 24th through Sunday the 27th drops back to weak, messy, or onshore junk. The three-day gap from Friday morning to Sunday is a write-off.
So wrap your head around it: endure the long, flat start, and the 22nd and 23rd of July are your absolute best bets for a proper, unforgettable session. Anything after that, you’re chasing scraps.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 8°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 9°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | N 12 | N 12 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | NW 4 | NW 4 | N 9 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | N 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 77 | 63 | 112 | 46 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 8 | 2 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | on | on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:22PM1.76m | 4:40AM1.74m | 5:22PM1.84m | 5:40AM1.78m | 6:21PM1.91m | 6:39AM1.81m | 7:17PM1.96m | 7:36AM1.83m | 8:11PM1.99m | 8:32AM1.83m | 9:03PM1.99m | 9:26AM1.81m | 9:54PM1.95m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:00AM0.14m | 10:34PM0.29m | 11:00AM0.09m | 11:37PM0.23m | 12:00PM0.04m | 00:37AM0.17m | 12:57PM0.00m | 1:35AM0.11m | 1:53PM-0.02m | 2:31AM0.07m | 2:47PM-0.01m | 3:24AM0.06m | 3:39PM0.04m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — |
 | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 8 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | NW 4 | NW 4 | NW 5 | N 10 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | NW 4 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 112 | 46 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | — | — | N 12 | N 12 | — | — | N 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 11 | NE 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | — | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | N 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 10 | N 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 2 | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 4 | SSW 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 77 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 40 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 82 | 0 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 85 | 73 | 40 | 48 | 48 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Hawai River 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 Hawai River Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hawai River provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hawai River can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hawai River 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 (Hawai River) 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 Hawai River 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.
Hawai River is 48 km (30 miles) from Whakatane. If you plan a holiday in East Cape, look for hotels and other accommodation in Whakatane. Whakatane has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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