Surf Forecasts:
Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 14s period, SSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 21s period, S swell with 2,552 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay in the next 16 days are 1.7m 21s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 21s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay over the next 16 days.
Alright, folks, Rusty here again for the imperial version. We’re looking at the next couple of weeks, and it’s a slow-burn start, but there’s a proper heater coming if you can wait.
First up, the real standout is Friday 17th July through the weekend. That’s the window to circle. The water is about 51°F, which is a touch warmer than average for now.
Hickory-Bay (Banks Peninsula) sees a small pulse of south-southwest swell hit on Monday 13th July morning. Only about 2 ft, but with a 13-second period, there’s some real push. Clean N winds make it a pleasant little session. The energy is moderate at 214. Nice start, but not a headliner.
The first real gem is Thursday 16th July afternoon. The wind goes dead calm (glassy), and we get a 2 ft ESE swell with a beautiful 16-second period. Energy bumps to 254. Small, but silky smooth.
Then Friday 17th July morning really gets going. Swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSW, with a 15-second period. Energy rockets to 2070. Light offshore NW winds keep the faces clean. That’s proper groundswell and it’s over 5 ft, so it’s for experienced surfers only. Friday afternoon is glassy with a 5 ft ESE swell. Lovely.
Saturday 18th July is the absolute king of the whole outlook. The morning is glassy with a 5 ft ESE swell (14-second period), but the Saturday afternoon is the one. We’re talking a 6 ft south swell with a massive 21-second period, energy hitting 3244. That is a very long-interval groundswell. It’ll produce long, fast, peeling waves, but it might be too straight for a simple beach break—Hickory Bay is the spot for it. This is expert territory for sure. Clean N offshore winds. Mark that one.
Sunday 19th July morning is still prime: glassy, 5 ft south swell (16-second period, energy 1624). The afternoon gets a side-shore breeze, so skip that.
Another solid pulse arrives Monday 20th July afternoon: a 6 ft south swell (13-second period) with clean cross-offshore ENE winds at 10 mph. Energy is still strong at 1785. Another fine day for the experienced crew.
After the 20th, the swell slowly winds down. Tuesday 22nd July morning gives you 4 ft from the SSE (10-second period) with glassy conditions. A nice mellow day.
From Wednesday 23rd July onward, we get smaller swells and less cooperative wind. Energy sits in the 100–300 range. Friday 24th July sees a small swell of 2 ft SSE, but it’s clean. Nothing exciting.
Sunday 26th July afternoon has a 3 ft SE swell (13-second period) with 333 energy, but the winds are moderate. Not a standout.
Then Tuesday 28th July afternoon throws a wild card—a 8 ft short-period ENE swell (7-second period) with 648 energy. That’s a lot of water, but with that short period, it’s going to be a lumpy, junky mess. The wind is clean, but the wave shape will be poor. That’s one for the kite surfers, not for a paddle.
Bottom line: Saturday 18th July afternoon is your absolute best bet. That 6 ft south groundswell with a 21-second period and offshore wind is the real deal. Friday 17th July morning and Monday 20th July afternoon are the solid backups.
Enjoy it out there.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Sat afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 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) | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | NE 8 | SSW 12 | S 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | ESE 13 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | SSW 15 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 14 | S 21 | S 18 | S 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 173 | 119 | 187 | 15 | 25 | 26 | 81 | 92 | 95 | 55 | 203 | 376 | 1382 | 1023 | 1027 | 899 | 2552 | 1421 | 1175 | 935 | 1092 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 2:41PM2.10m | 3:02AM1.94m | 3:36PM2.16m | 3:57AM1.98m | 4:31PM2.17m | 4:52AM1.99m | 5:25PM2.15m | 5:48AM1.97m | 6:19PM2.08m | 6:43AM1.93m | 7:13PM2.00m | 7:40AM1.86m | 8:08PM1.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:57PM0.12m | 9:14AM-0.02m | 9:54PM0.07m | 10:12AM-0.06m | 10:51PM0.04m | 11:08AM-0.06m | 11:46PM0.04m | 12:05PM-0.03m | 00:40AM0.06m | 1:00PM0.04m | 1:35AM0.10m | 1:56PM0.13m | 2:28AM0.16m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 7:58 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — |
 | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
Feels °C | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 9 | E 10 | SSW 16 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ESE 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | ESE 16 | ESE 14 | S 21 | S 18 | S 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 |
| kJ | 173 | 119 | 46 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 203 | 248 | 1382 | 799 | 1027 | 899 | 2552 | 1421 | 1175 | 935 | 1092 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SSW 12 | S 18 | E 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | ESE 13 | NE 6 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 41 | 26 | 14 | 15 | 25 | 9 | 81 | 92 | 95 | 55 | 8 | 376 | 688 | 1023 | 385 | 150 | 692 | 553 | 414 | 346 | 187 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 9 | S 22 | S 20 | S 8 | E 13 | E 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 14 | ESE 16 | SSW 15 | NE 11 | — | — | — | S 23 | — | S 22 | NE 5 | S 19 | S 18 |
| kJ | — | 26 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 47 | 47 | 38 | 51 | 47 | 4 | — | — | — | 373 | — | 580 | 4 | 184 | 168 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 6 | N 5 | NE 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 5 | NNE 7 | — | SSE 3 | SSW 3 | W 3 | SW 4 | NNE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 4 | S 6 | — |
| kJ | 105 | 81 | 187 | 299 | 112 | 163 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | 80 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 76 | 0 | 3 | 280 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Banks Peninsula - Hickory 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 (Banks Peninsula - Hickory 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 Banks Peninsula - Hickory 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.
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