Surf Forecasts:
Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SSW swell with 1,342 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay in the next 16 days are 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Hickory Bay over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The next few days are looking pretty average, nothing to get too excited about. We’re waiting for the ocean to wake up.
The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Saturday, September 6th in the morning. We’ve got a small 2ft swell pushing in from the SSW with a very long period of 17 seconds – that's proper groundswell energy, coming in at a moderate 364 (combined energy). The wind is light from the NW, so it’ll be clean. For a beginner-friendly spot like Hickory Bay, that’s about as good as it gets for a small day.
Then things get a bit tricky. From around the 11th of September, the ocean starts to pump, but it’s just too much for this spot. We’re looking at 8ft+ SSW swells with energy readings in the thousands – that’s some serious grunt. For an exposed beginner break, that’s expert-only territory and frankly, more than a little intimidating. The 13th of September shows a 13ft SSW swell with a combined energy of 4528; that’s a whole lot of ocean moving in a direction that’s not quite ideal.
The best call in the whole window? I’d put my money on Friday morning, September 19th. It’s a full two weeks out, so keep an eye on it, but the recipe is right. We’ve got a 2ft SSW swell with an incredible 18-second period, combined energy of 447, and a gentle offshore breeze from the north. It’ll be clean, small, and the long period will give some real shape to those waves at Hickory Bay. It’s a classic "if you can wait, it’ll be worth it" situation. There’s also a shout-out to Friday morning, September 18th – a glassy 2ft SSW swell at 11 seconds with a combined energy of 245. Dead calm wind, the water will be like a mirror. For a sneaky, peaceful session before the weekend, that’s a beauty.
The water temp for Hickory Bay is sitting around average for this time of year, nothing wild to report there, just your usual winter/spring transition feels.
So, in short: the next week is mostly a write-off for quality. The big swells mid-month are for the brave or the foolish, and the real standout is that glassy, clean, long-period morning on the 19th. Hang tight.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Fri morning, calm by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 11°C on Wed night, min 7°C on Mon afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | NE 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | E 7 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SSW 18 | SW 10 | S 15 | SSW 20 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 83 | 176 | 100 | 477 | 151 | 510 | 300 | 219 | 142 | 111 | 193 | 212 | 450 | 412 | 237 | 104 | 56 | 30 | 23 | 470 | 821 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:17AM1.80m | 9:43PM1.69m | 10:21AM1.84m | 10:46PM1.72m | 11:23AM1.89m | 11:47PM1.77m | 12:22PM1.95m | 00:45AM1.83m | 1:18PM2.00m | 1:39AM1.89m | 2:10PM2.04m | 2:31AM1.93m | 2:59PM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:39PM0.33m | 4:00AM0.26m | 4:39PM0.31m | 4:59AM0.22m | 5:39PM0.27m | 5:57AM0.16m | 6:36PM0.21m | 6:54AM0.10m | 7:31PM0.16m | 7:49AM0.05m | 8:23PM0.11m | 8:42AM0.03m | 9:14PM0.08m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
Feels °C | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | NE 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | NNE 5 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | E 7 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | NNE 5 | S 15 | SSW 20 |
| kJ | 40 | 176 | 100 | 477 | 151 | 510 | 28 | 94 | 96 | 111 | 193 | 212 | 450 | 412 | 237 | 104 | 56 | 26 | 33 | 470 | 821 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSE 9 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | NE 9 | NNE 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 11 | S 13 | S 22 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | S 4 | NE 8 | NNE 8 |
| kJ | 83 | 76 | 72 | 8 | 110 | 3 | 153 | 219 | 79 | 16 | 42 | 150 | 4 | 10 | 79 | 51 | 33 | 8 | 9 | 77 | 27 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | S 9 | NE 6 | NE 10 | SSE 9 | NE 8 | SSW 17 | NNE 5 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NNE 6 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | — | NE 8 | S 20 | S 19 | SSW 18 | SW 10 | S 21 | ESE 7 |
| kJ | 5 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 300 | 17 | 142 | 73 | 4 | 50 | 17 | — | 10 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 23 | 144 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | NW 5 | NW 5 | N 4 | N 5 | NNW 4 | E 3 | SE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | E 6 | — | SSW 10 | S 9 | — | — | NNE 4 | N 5 | SE 4 | — | SSW 5 |
| kJ | 314 | 80 | 35 | 13 | 85 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 66 | 98 | — | 123 | 85 | — | — | 11 | 146 | 20 | — | 95 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 171 | 171 | 0 | 0 | 145 | 0 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 30 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160 | 13 | 3 |
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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