Surf Forecasts:
Kahutara surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, SSW swell with 3,055 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period with S 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s. 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 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kahutara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.
The first few days are pretty quiet, but the juice starts flowing toward the end of the month. The real standout is a huge swell in the second week for the big dogs.
Saturday, August 29th to Sunday, August 30th is small. A 3ft southerly swell on Saturday morning at Kahutara (reef and point) with a 11-second period and a light offshore NW wind will give you clean little waves. The water temp is 51°F, which is about normal for this time of year. The energy is weak (271). By Sunday morning, it’s down to 1ft.
Monday, August 31st gets interesting. A solid 7ft S swell with a 12-second period and strong offshore WNW wind. The combined energy is 1311 (moderate-strong), and the conditions are clean. This is for experienced surfers – 7ft is getting big for beginners.
Tuesday, September 1st holds 8ft S swell, but the wind goes cross-shore, so the afternoon gets messy. The morning is still worth it.
Wednesday, September 2nd is the pick of the first week. The swell drops to 8ft, but the period stretches to 15 seconds – a long period groundswell. The wind goes glassy in the afternoon with a light NNW breeze. This is excellent for experienced surfers, with energy at 2398 (strong). The long period will wrap nicely into the reef and point at Kahutara.
Thursday, September 3rd is smaller but clean: 4ft S swell.
Friday, September 4th is tiny and messy.
Saturday, September 5th sees a 6ft S swell return, 10-second period, with light N wind. That’s a decent Saturday morning, with moderate energy (658) and clean conditions.
Sunday, September 6th flattens out again.
Now, the big one: Thursday, September 10th. A massive 18ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and a light NNW cross-off wind. The combined energy is a whopping 14851 (very strong). This is for experts only – over 8ft, it’s dangerous for anyone else. The direction is perfect for Kahutara. The morning will be clean and powerful. The afternoon gets cross-shore. This is a serious swell, but it’s 12 days out, so keep an eye on it.
After that, Friday, September 11th drops to 7ft but with onshore wind, and the rest of the outlook fades into small, choppy, or onshore conditions.
Crowds at Kahutara are sometimes an issue, but on a 18ft day, it’ll be the hardcore crew only.
Best bets: The Wednesday, September 2nd morning for a solid, clean groundswell, and the Thursday, September 10th morning for the monster swell – but only if you’re a pro.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 5°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the W by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 6°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 13 | S 16 | S 16 | S 12 | S 12 | S 14 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 16 | S 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 184 | 133 | 70 | 58 | 126 | 513 | 1066 | 855 | 1686 | 1807 | 1901 | 2093 | 2757 | 2370 | 1048 | 477 | 298 | 175 | 68 | 43 | 167 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 5:20PM1.93m | 5:45AM1.86m | 6:03PM1.94m | 6:32AM1.89m | 6:50PM1.94m | 7:21AM1.92m | 7:42PM1.93m | 8:12AM1.96m | 8:38PM1.92m | 9:04AM1.99m | 9:35PM1.91m | 9:58AM2.01m | 10:31PM1.91m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:13AM0.49m | 11:41PM0.50m | 11:55AM0.46m | 00:24AM0.48m | 12:39PM0.46m | 1:08AM0.48m | 1:26PM0.48m | 1:55AM0.49m | 2:18PM0.51m | 2:46AM0.50m | 3:16PM0.54m | 3:43AM0.50m | 4:16PM0.54m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — |
 | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 11 |
Feels °C | 13 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 13 | S 16 | S 8 | S 12 | S 12 | W 4 | S 12 | — | S 12 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 |
| kJ | 184 | 133 | 70 | 58 | 126 | 173 | 1066 | 855 | 1 | 1807 | — | 2093 | 2757 | 2370 | 1048 | 477 | 298 | 175 | 68 | 41 | 167 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 12 | S 16 | S 16 | NE 9 | NE 8 | — | — | — | S 16 | E 11 | E 11 | NE 5 | SE 11 | E 4 | NE 7 | S 16 | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 25 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 513 | 240 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 1052 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 81 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SE 13 | SE 12 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | — | — | — | ENE 9 | E 12 | — | NE 9 | NE 9 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | S 15 |
| kJ | 62 | 43 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 9 | 10 | — | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 3 | — | — | NNW 2 | W 3 | S 8 | WNW 3 | W 4 | S 14 | WNW 3 | S 12 | — | — | NE 4 | NNE 7 | SE 3 | E 4 | — | WNW 3 | W 4 | W 4 |
| kJ | 3 | — | — | 1 | 8 | 331 | 3 | 26 | 1686 | 2 | 1901 | — | — | 8 | 29 | 5 | 14 | — | 11 | 44 | 4 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 43 | 121 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 33 |
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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