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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 am Sunday 03 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
15.9° 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 Sunday (May 03) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. 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 5.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 10) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Wednesday (May 06) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sun 3rd May) | 4ft (1.2m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sat 9th May) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 10th May) | 16ft (5.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Little Wanganui over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 71mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the N by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 3 | Monday 4 | Tuesday 5 | Wednesday 6 | Thursday 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | NNW 8 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | WNW 14 | |
504 | 475 | 367 | 289 | 227 | 127 | 233 | 236 | 137 | 69 | 138 | 1036 | 512 | 323 | 168 | 183 | 176 | 611 | 1628 | 1338 | 7336 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | glassy | off | off | cross | cross | glassy | glassy | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | on | off | |
High Tide | 11:14AM2.90m | 11:32PM2.91m | 11:50AM2.83m | 00:09AM2.83m | 12:27PM2.73m | 00:47AM2.73m | 1:07PM2.61m | 1:28AM2.62m | 1:50PM2.49m | 2:15AM2.51m | 2:41PM2.39m | 3:08AM2.43m | 3:39PM2.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:25PM0.36m | 5:45AM0.41m | 6:01PM0.44m | 6:22AM0.50m | 6:39PM0.55m | 7:02AM0.61m | 7:19PM0.66m | 7:45AM0.72m | 8:04PM0.77m | 8:34AM0.82m | 8:54PM0.86m | 9:29AM0.86m | 9:52PM0.90m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | |  | | | |
 | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 23 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 23 | 5 | 1 | |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
11 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 15 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 7 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | NNW 10 | WSW 16 | WNW 14 |
 kJ | 504 | 475 | 367 | 289 | 227 | 127 | 233 | 236 | 137 | 69 | 138 | 138 | 512 | 323 | 128 | 134 | 168 | 145 | 1628 | 437 | 7336 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 14 | N 14 | WSW 4 | N 13 | N 13 | WSW 15 | N 12 | N 6 | N 6 | NNW 6 | N 10 | — | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WNW 7 | WSW 19 | WSW 13 | — | N 9 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 75 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | — | 186 | 180 | 168 | 183 | 9 | 74 | 129 | — | 690 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 10 | N 14 | — | — | WSW 3 | — | N 12 | N 12 | WSW 17 | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | SW 7 | WSW 18 | W 8 | W 18 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 56 | — | — | 19 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 64 | 6 | 158 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 2 | NNW 6 | NNW 9 | — | — | — | — | N 7 | NNW 8 | — | NNW 10 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 98 | 1036 | — | — | — | — | 176 | 611 | — | 1338 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 174 | 203 | 54 | 88 |
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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