Little Wanganui Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.39° S 172.06° E

Little Wanganui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 10 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Little Wanganui sea temperature is
14.3° C
1.1° 

Little Wanganui surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Little Wanganui surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, W swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, W swell with 6,149 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period with WSW swell.

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 Friday (Jul 10) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 16s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Little Wanganui in the next 16 days are 3.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Fri 10th Jul)5ft (1.5m) 16s
Best Surf 6AM (Wed 15th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 17s
Most Powerful 9AM (Wed 15th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 16s

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


Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Sat morning, min 6°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 8°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
3
4
3
4
3
2
3
2
1
3
3
1
2
!
!
4
4
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.7
WSW
16
1.5
WSW
16
1.3
WSW
15
1.5
WSW
18
1.6
WSW
16
1.6
WSW
16
1.5
WSW
15
1.4
WSW
15
1.1
WSW
15
0.9
WSW
14
1.4
NW
7
3
NW
9
2
NW
8
1.4
W
11
1.3
W
19
3.5
W
16
3.5
W
16
3
W
16
2.5
W
16
2.4
W
15
2
W
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1500
1038
706
1327
1225
1365
986
795
543
281
183
1484
558
442
1212
6149
5201
3833
3260
2577
1691
Wind (km/h)
10
ESE
0
NNW
5
E
5
E
5
NNW
5
NE
5
NE
5
NNW
10
E
10
ENE
15
NNE
10
WSW
5
N
15
NNW
15
NW
5
NE
5
NNW
10
SSW
5
S
25
W
20
SW
Wind State
cross-off
glassy
off
off
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
on
cross-on
High Tide
6:27PM2.66m
6:58AM2.75m
7:33PM2.78m
8:04AM2.86m
8:35PM2.94m
9:05AM2.99m
9:32PM3.11m
10:01AM3.10m
10:26PM3.24m
10:53AM3.17m
11:16PM3.32m
11:43AM3.18m
00:04AM3.33m
Low Tide
12:09PM0.54m
00:40AM0.57m
1:15PM0.47m
1:47AM0.44m
2:18PM0.36m
2:49AM0.28m
3:17PM0.23m
3:47AM0.13m
4:11PM0.11m
4:41AM0.01m
5:02PM0.03m
5:32AM-0.06m
5:51PM0.00m
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:56
7:56
7:54
7:54
7:54
7:54
7:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:16
5:17
5:19
5:19
5:20
5:21
5:22
 mm
1
15
2
5
13
4
4
1
4
5
Temp °C
10
10
8
12
11
10
11
12
9
13
12
12
13
14
13
12
13
11
11
11
10
Feels °C
8
8
6
11
9
8
9
10
6
10
8
9
12
12
10
11
12
11
8
6
3
  • 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
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Little Wanganui:

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 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.

Nearest locationNearest