Little Wanganui Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.39° S 172.06° E

Little Wanganui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 15 Nov 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Little Wanganui sea temperature is
15.9°C
1.5° 

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 15 Nov 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 19 Nov, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 18 Nov, 10PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 13s period, WSW swell with 2,376 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 15 Nov, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s 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 Sunday (Nov 15) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. 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 2.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Nov 18) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Sun 15th Nov)1.5ft (0.5m) 11s
Best Surf 7AM (Thu 19th Nov)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Most Powerful10PM (Wed 18th Nov)8ft (2.5m) 13s

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


Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
15
Monday
16
Tuesday
17
Wednesday
18
Thursday
19
Friday
20
Saturday
21
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
0
2
1
1
3
2
0
3
1
0
3
4
3
3
1
0
2
1
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
WSW
11
0.9
WSW
11
1.2
W
8
1.9
WNW
9
3
WNW
9
2.1
NW
9
0.9
WSW
14
1.2
WSW
14
1.6
WSW
13
1.7
WSW
13
2.3
WSW
13
2.5
WSW
13
2.5
WSW
12
2.4
WSW
13
2
WSW
13
1.3
WSW
13
1.1
WSW
13
1
WSW
13
1.2
WSW
13
1.1
WSW
13
1
WSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
225
176
186
619
1304
643
366
534
919
975
1877
2248
1824
1844
1319
547
384
317
440
361
288
Wind (km/h)
5
NW
10
NW
10
NE
20
N
20
NNW
10
SW
10
WSW
20
WSW
10
SSW
20
WSW
30
SW
10
SSW
5
NW
10
W
5
S
10
SW
20
WSW
5
ESE
5
WNW
5
W
5
ESE
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
glassy
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
on
off
High Tide
2:58PM2.54m
3:24AM2.40m
3:50PM2.45m
4:20AM2.32m
4:47PM2.40m
5:22AM2.30m
5:48PM2.41m
6:26AM2.35m
6:48PM2.48m
7:24AM2.46m
7:44PM2.62m
8:17AM2.63m
8:35PM2.78m
Low Tide
9:18PM0.79m
9:37AM0.84m
10:11PM0.85m
10:32AM0.90m
11:10PM0.87m
11:32AM0.91m
00:10AM0.81m
12:32PM0.86m
1:07AM0.70m
1:29PM0.74m
2:00AM0.55m
2:22PM0.58m
2:50AM0.38m
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:03
—
—
6:01
—
—
6:01
—
—
6:01
—
—
6:00
—
—
5:58
—
—
5:58
—
—
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
—
8:29
—
—
8:30
—
—
8:30
—
—
8:31
—
—
8:34
—
—
8:35
—
—
8:36
—
 mm
—
—
—
14
24
1
—
—
—
4
2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Temp °C
16
16
14
16
16
15
14
13
12
13
13
10
14
14
11
15
15
11
15
15
12
Feels °C
14
14
13
13
14
14
9
8
8
10
7
5
11
11
9
10
11
9
14
13
11
  • 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 

Never miss your swells again.

Built by surfers, trusted by millions for over 20 years. The Wavefinder in our app makes it even easier to find where the best waves are breaking. Follow the yellow stars along your coast and get there first.

QR code to download the Surf‑Forecast app
app storeplay store

Scan the QR code to open the Surf‑Forecast app

Surf‑Forecast mobile app preview
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