Surf Forecasts:
Kahutara surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, S swell with 5,368 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 12s period with SSE 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s is also forecast. 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 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kahutara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve only got one spot on the radar for this outlook, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks.
We’re looking at Kahutara, a reef and point setup. The water is sitting at 51°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first real action kicks off on Sunday, August 2nd. The morning is the standout. We’ve got a clean 6ft swell from the SSE, with a solid 10-second period, and the wind is light and offshore from the NW. It’s glassy, with a decent amount of energy in the water (1036). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers, and the best on offer right now. Later that afternoon, the wind swings onshore and it gets choppy, so don’t bother.
Monday, August 3rd is a solid day too. That offshore wind from the WNW and W holds all day, keeping things clean. Swell drops to 3ft from the SSE, still with a nice long period (11-13 seconds), and the energy is moderate (559-565). Good, clean waves for the experienced crew.
Things get a bit wild on Tuesday, August 4th. A big, powerful swell hits – 13ft from the S, with a period of 11-12 seconds. The energy is massive (4507), but it’s blowing a strong 22 mph cross-offshore wind. That’s expert territory only, and honestly, conditions are marginal. This one is for the big-wave chargers only.
Wednesday, August 5th is a better bet. The swell drops to 8ft from the S, and the wind is a light 6 mph cross-offshore from the W. Clean, powerful waves (energy 1981) – excellent for experienced surfers again.
From Thursday, August 6th through to the middle of the next week, it’s a run of smaller, cleaner days. Mornings are the go-to. On Thursday, we’ve got 5ft from the SE with glassy conditions. Friday, August 7th looks similar, with a slightly longer 12-second period and glassy water. Saturday, August 8th is a bit smaller at 4ft, but still glassy.
Sunday, August 9th sees the swell drop to 3ft, but the period is a very long 15 seconds from the SSE. That’s a beautiful groundswell, but at a point break it’ll wrap in nicely. Glassy conditions all day.
Monday, August 10th brings a little bump back to 4ft from the SSE, with a glassy morning. Tuesday, August 11th is another good morning with 5ft from the SE and a 13-second period, clean and glassy.
After that, the energy fades. Wednesday, August 12th and Thursday, August 13th are small and weak, with energy values dropping below 200. Not worth paddling out for.
A small pulse shows up on Friday, August 14th – 5ft from the ENE, but with a short 7-second period. It’s glassy, but the quality won’t be great. The rest of the second week stays small, with most days under 3ft and weak energy. The last day of the run, Monday, August 17th, is basically flat.
Best on offer: The standout is definitely Sunday, August 2nd morning. The early part of the first week, particularly the mornings from Monday to Wednesday, are also very good. After that, it’s a waiting game for the next real swell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 3°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Sun morning, strong winds from the SW by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Wed afternoon, min 3°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 13 | S 15 | S 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 11 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 634 | 1028 | 400 | 261 | 334 | 711 | 4507 | 3986 | 4688 | 1966 | 1479 | 979 | 334 | 388 | 268 | 514 | 360 | 282 | 291 | 286 | 250 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | off | off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 7:17PM1.88m | 7:50AM1.81m | 8:05PM1.88m | 8:36AM1.84m | 8:57PM1.87m | 9:24AM1.88m | 9:51PM1.88m | 10:15AM1.92m | 10:45PM1.89m | 11:10AM1.97m | 11:40PM1.90m | 12:07PM2.02m | 00:36AM1.93m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:06PM0.49m | 1:38AM0.51m | 1:49PM0.50m | 2:22AM0.51m | 2:37PM0.52m | 3:10AM0.52m | 3:29PM0.56m | 4:03AM0.53m | 4:28PM0.58m | 4:59AM0.51m | 5:29PM0.56m | 5:55AM0.47m | 6:31PM0.52m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | |
 | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — |
 | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 5 | -4 | -5 | -2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 13 | S 15 | NE 13 | — | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 11 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 634 | 1028 | 400 | 261 | 334 | 711 | 7 | — | 3103 | 1966 | 1479 | 979 | 334 | 388 | 268 | 514 | 360 | 282 | 291 | 286 | 250 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | — | — | — | SE 19 | ESE 18 | SE 16 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 15 | S 14 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 19 |
| kJ | 400 | 51 | 90 | 196 | 133 | 33 | — | — | — | 15 | 30 | 67 | 242 | 184 | 148 | 279 | 232 | 190 | 56 | 24 | 71 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 16 | NE 5 | S 18 | S 18 | SE 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 13 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 4 | SE 9 | S 17 | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 2 | 5 | 10 | 102 | 98 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | 37 | 171 | 83 | 59 | 3 | 14 | 23 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 2 | — | W 4 | S 7 | S 11 | S 12 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | NE 4 | — | — | NE 4 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | — | 12 | 347 | 4507 | 3986 | 4688 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 172 | 172 | 135 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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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