Kahutara surf break

Kahutara surfForecast / Kaikoura and Marlborough / New Zealand

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 pm Tuesday 24 Mar 2026 NZDT
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Kahutara surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Kahutara sea temperature is
15.3° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)

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 Tuesday (Mar 24) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Kahutara in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Mar 27) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Monday (Mar 30) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Tue 24th Mar)1ft (0.3m) 15s
Best Surf10PM (Fri 27th Mar)10ft (3.0m) 9s
Most Powerful 7PM (Fri 27th Mar)11ft (3.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kahutara over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Wed afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the NE by Thu afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Fri morning, calm by Sat night).

Tuesday
24
Wednesday
25
Thursday
26
Friday
27
Saturday
28
Sunday
29
Monday
30
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
2
4
3
1
1
2
1
2
2
2
1
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.9
ENE
0.3
ESE
0.4
ESE
0.4
ESE
0.4
ESE
0.6
ESE
1.5
ENE
2.1
ENE
3
ENE
3
ENE
3
ENE
3
ENE
1.7
E
1.6
E
1
ESE
1.3
ESE
1.3
ESE
1.2
ESE
1.1
ESE
0.9
ESE
2
S
Period(s) (?)61614131312678999991212121212117
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)5548696763931414821148159913461599495417323452444387306214366
Wind
(km/h)
5
SSW
5
E
5
WSW
10
SSW
10
S
5
NE
20
NE
30
NE
30
NE
30
NNE
25
NNE
10
NNW
10
WNW
5
ESE
5
S
5
ENE
15
ENE
5
NW
15
N
15
W
10
SSE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
glasscross-
on
glasscrosscross-
on
glasscrosscross-
on
crosscrosscrosscross-
off
offoncrosscross-
on
cross-
on
offcross-
off
offcross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
10:19PM
2.12
10:53AM
1.98
11:16PM
2.10
11:49AM
1.97
12:13AM
2.06
12:42PM
1.95
1:09AM
2.01
1:35PM
1.93
2:03AM
1.98
2:27PM
1.91
2:54AM
1.96
3:18PM
1.90
3:44AM
1.94
Low Tide
/ height (m)
4:01PM
0.43
4:39AM
0.48
5:01PM
0.44
5:40AM
0.48
5:59PM
0.44
6:38AM
0.47
6:54PM
0.43
7:32AM
0.46
7:46PM
0.43
8:22AM
0.45
8:39PM
0.43
9:10AM
0.45
9:32PM
0.43
Tuesday
24
Wednesday
25
Thursday
26
Friday
27
Saturday
28
Sunday
29
Monday
30
Sunrise7:31--7:31--7:33--7:33--7:35--7:37--7:37--
Sunset-7:31--7:30--7:28--7:25--7:24--7:22--7:21-
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
cloud
Rain (mm)
------252------------
Temp. °C201918171615161515192019242316171820232314
Feels °C (?)191818161516141110151718242216161720222012
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Kahutara:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Kahutara 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest