Surf Forecasts:
Kahutara surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 1 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 4,546 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kahutara this week:
The surf forecast for Kahutara over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 30) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Kahutara in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 01) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Thu 30th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kahutara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s chew the fat on what’s headed for Kahutara.
We’re getting a slow start. Thursday, July 30th, there’s knee to waist-high swell, around 3 to 4 feet from the ESE, with a 12-second period. Water temp is about 50°, normal for this time. Offshore light breeze out of the NW, so it’s clean. Surfable, but nothing to get excited about. The combined wave energy is moderate, sitting around the 400 mark.
Friday the 31st drops off – only 2 feet from the east. Morning has offshore winds from the NW at 12 mph, clean but tiny. The afternoon picks up a strong 18 mph WNW wind, still offshore but a tough paddle for small waves.
Now Saturday, August 1st, things get serious. A big southerly groundswell hits 15 feet in the morning and 13 feet in the afternoon. Periods around 11 to 12 seconds. That’s massive, powerful stuff. Wind is cross-off in the AM and cross-shore in the PM, both from the southwest at 15 mph. Combined energy is enormous – over 8000. This is strictly for experts. The break likes the direction, but the size and cross conditions make it a beast.
Sunday the 2nd of August is a real highlight. Swell settles to a clean 8 feet from the SSE, with a long 13-second period. The wind? Glassy calm out of the WNW in the morning. Combined energy is still strong at 1792. This is some of the best surf in the whole forecast. Clean, good direction for the break, and just solid. Crowds are a possibility, as it sometimes gets busy.
Monday the 3rd through Wednesday the 5th August offers clean, offshore conditions but smaller – swells from 4 feet up to 13 feet. Tuesday has another huge pulse, 13 feet from the south with a 13-second period. It’s clean with cross-off winds, but at that size, it’s for the brave.
Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th August are mellow. Swell drops to 5 to 6 feet from the SE. Thursday morning is glassy and clean with a 12-second period. After that, winds shift onshore, and the surf gets choppy.
Second week is more mixed. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are messy – onshore winds, shorter period swell, and rain. Not worth a paddle.
Monday the 10th to Wednesday the 12th August sees cleaner conditions. Swell sits around 5 to 7 feet from the ESE and east, with offshore or glassy mornings. Wednesday the 12th is a standout with glassy conditions both sessions, 7 feet of clean east swell. Very surfable.
Thursday the 13th August brings another big uptick – 8 feet in the morning and 12 feet in the afternoon from the ENE, with a 10 to 11 second period. Clean in the AM, then big with some chop in the PM. Combined energy over 5000 in the afternoon. For experienced surfers only.
Friday the 14th’s close out with 12 feet of east swell, but 35 mph WSW winds in the morning and 12 mph SSW winds in the afternoon. Massive energy, but gusty and messy. Expert-only.
For the top picks, I’d say Sunday the 2nd of August is your golden ticket. Glassy, 8 feet, clean SSE swell with a long period at that reef and point. And if you want a quieter clean session, Wednesday the 12th of August with the glassy 7 foot east swell is a gem. The big days on the 4th and 13th are powerful and clean, but you’ll need your big-boy pants for the drop.
Respect the ocean, keep your head on a swivel.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 4°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the SW by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Sun morning, fresh winds from the SW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SSW 7 | SSW 11 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 15 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 361 | 228 | 173 | 123 | 119 | 642 | 4332 | 3766 | 1400 | 622 | 1003 | 563 | 404 | 534 | 3287 | 2364 | 1912 | 1114 | 804 | 474 | 284 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:14PM1.88m | 5:34AM1.78m | 5:54PM1.89m | 6:18AM1.77m | 6:34PM1.89m | 7:03AM1.78m | 7:17PM1.88m | 7:50AM1.81m | 8:05PM1.88m | 8:36AM1.84m | 8:57PM1.87m | 9:24AM1.88m | 9:51PM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:03AM0.56m | 11:34PM0.59m | 11:44AM0.52m | 00:16AM0.54m | 12:24PM0.50m | 00:57AM0.52m | 1:06PM0.49m | 1:38AM0.51m | 1:49PM0.50m | 2:22AM0.51m | 2:37PM0.52m | 3:10AM0.52m | 3:29PM0.56m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 3 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 0 | -1 | -2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | S 11 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 15 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 361 | 228 | 173 | 123 | 119 | 57 | 1960 | 2587 | 1400 | 622 | 1003 | 563 | 404 | 534 | 2251 | 2364 | 1912 | 1114 | 804 | 474 | 272 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | SE 15 | S 14 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SSW 10 | SSE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | NE 13 | NE 12 | E 12 | S 15 | SE 10 | S 11 |
| kJ | 74 | 28 | 75 | 15 | 24 | 79 | 704 | 209 | 192 | 400 | 20 | 400 | 202 | 112 | 46 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 208 | 225 | 284 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | NE 6 | SE 15 | SE 11 | SE 16 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 16 | NE 6 | S 18 | E 14 | SE 15 | — | — | — | E 12 | SE 18 | SE 17 |
| kJ | 2 | 35 | 44 | 9 | 60 | 20 | 239 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 97 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | 3 | 13 | 46 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NW 3 | W 3 | SSW 7 | SSW 11 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | — | S 15 | — | — | — | NE 3 | NE 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 4 | 8 | 642 | 4332 | 3766 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 3287 | — | — | — | 7 | 9 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 133 | 106 | 138 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 54 | 121 | 179 | 138 | 11 | 43 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kaikoura and Marlborough | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Kahutara Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Kahutara provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Kahutara can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Kahutara 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 (Kahutara) 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 Kahutara 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.
Kahutara is 106 km (66 miles) from the city of Blenheim. If you plan a holiday in Kaikoura and Marlborough, look for hotels and other accommodation in Blenheim. Blenheim has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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