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Little Wanganui Surf Forecast
/ West Coast South Island (21 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Little Wanganui surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Wednesday 20 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Little Wanganui surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Little Wanganui sea temperature is
15.6° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Little Wanganui this week:
The surf forecast for Little Wanganui over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 21) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Little Wanganui in the next 16 days are 1.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Thu 21st May) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sun 24th May) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 24th May) | 6ft (1.9m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Little Wanganui over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | W 11 | W 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | N 7 | NNW 9 | |
178 | 127 | 264 | 382 | 444 | 394 | 392 | 521 | 758 | 522 | 350 | 1259 | 1830 | 1118 | 742 | 390 | 242 | 113 | 81 | 138 | 1203 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | glassy | off | off | cross-on | off | off | off | glassy | glassy | |
High Tide | 1:25AM3.09m | 1:57PM2.88m | 2:24AM2.95m | 2:58PM2.72m | 3:26AM2.81m | 4:03PM2.60m | 4:32AM2.71m | 5:10PM2.53m | 5:36AM2.65m | 6:13PM2.53m | 6:35AM2.63m | 7:08PM2.57m | 7:28AM2.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:12PM0.21m | 7:45AM0.22m | 8:08PM0.36m | 8:45AM0.36m | 9:08PM0.50m | 9:48AM0.49m | 10:12PM0.60m | 10:52AM0.56m | 11:16PM0.66m | 11:54AM0.59m | 00:18AM0.68m | 12:51PM0.58m | 1:13AM0.65m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | |  | |  | | |
 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 |
 | 5:17 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | 5:13 |
— | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 25 | 26 | 4 | |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | W 11 | W 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | N 7 | N 7 | NNW 9 |
 kJ | 178 | 127 | 264 | 382 | 444 | 394 | 392 | 521 | 758 | 522 | 350 | 1259 | 1830 | 1118 | 742 | 390 | 242 | 113 | 42 | 138 | 1203 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 20 | W 19 | WSW 12 | WNW 13 | W 13 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NNW 9 | NW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 11 | WSW 12 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | N 9 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | 8 | 27 | 48 | 141 | 414 | 318 | 268 | 165 | 77 | 80 | 68 | 260 | 41 | 32 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 33 | 81 | 52 | 43 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 15 | WSW 12 | WSW 16 | N 8 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | — | WSW 21 | N 11 | — | — | — | — | N 13 | N 13 | W 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 11 |
| kJ | — | — | 23 | 26 | 53 | 80 | 28 | 4 | 23 | — | 150 | 64 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 24 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Little Wanganui 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 Little Wanganui Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Little Wanganui provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Little Wanganui can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Little Wanganui 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 (Little Wanganui) 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 Little Wanganui 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.
Are you planning a holiday in West Coast South Island? If you are looking for accommodation near Little Wanganui, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in West Coast South Island, consider staying in Nelson which is 102 km (63 miles) away.
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