Little Wanganui Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.39° S 172.06° E

Little Wanganui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 16 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Little Wanganui sea temperature is
13.8° C
0.6° 

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 16 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 18s period, WSW swell with 3,201 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s 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 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Little Wanganui in the next 16 days are 2.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Fri 17th Jul)7ft (2.1m) 14s
Best Surf12AM (Fri 17th Jul)7ft (2.1m) 14s
Most Powerful 3PM (Sat 18th Jul)7.5ft (2.3m) 18s

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


Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
4
4
2
4
4
2
4
4
4
4
4
2
3
3
2
1
2
2
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.4
W
15
2.2
W
15
2.1
WSW
14
2.4
WSW
15
2.4
WSW
15
2.3
WSW
15
2.1
WSW
15
2.3
WSW
18
2.2
WSW
17
2.1
WSW
16
2
WSW
15
1.8
WSW
14
1.6
WSW
14
1.5
W
14
1.5
WSW
13
1.2
WSW
13
1.1
WSW
13
1
WSW
12
0.9
WSW
12
0.9
WSW
12
0.7
WSW
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2525
2068
1752
2427
2460
2233
1877
3201
2809
2161
1749
1277
1001
836
713
499
411
303
228
220
119
Wind (km/h)
15
SW
10
SW
5
SSE
5
SE
15
SW
5
ESE
5
SSE
15
SW
5
SE
5
ESE
5
W
5
NE
0
ENE
10
SW
5
E
5
ENE
5
NNW
5
SSW
5
E
5
W
5
E
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
glassy
cross
off
glassy
glassy
High Tide
11:43AM3.18m
00:04AM3.33m
12:30PM3.13m
00:51AM3.26m
1:17PM3.03m
1:37AM3.12m
2:03PM2.89m
2:24AM2.94m
2:50PM2.73m
3:11AM2.74m
3:40PM2.58m
4:03AM2.55m
4:35PM2.45m
Low Tide
5:51PM0.00m
6:21AM-0.04m
6:39PM0.05m
7:08AM0.04m
7:25PM0.16m
7:55AM0.18m
8:12PM0.31m
8:41AM0.35m
9:00PM0.50m
9:29AM0.54m
9:51PM0.68m
10:21AM0.71m
10:48PM0.83m
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:52
7:52
7:52
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:48
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:22
5:22
5:22
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:27
 mm
1
1
2
1
1
Temp °C
13
12
9
11
12
9
12
12
10
13
12
11
13
13
10
11
11
10
12
12
10
Feels °C
11
10
7
9
9
7
9
8
8
12
11
10
12
11
9
9
9
9
11
11
8
  • 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