Surf Forecasts:
Little Wanganui surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, W swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 19s period, W swell with 13,959 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period with W 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 (Sep 06) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 17s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Little Wanganui in the next 16 days are 4.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Little Wanganui over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 98mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed afternoon, min 5°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 17 | W 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | W 20 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | W 16 | W 20 | W 19 | W 18 | WSW 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 7065 | 6947 | 5694 | 2678 | 1191 | 742 | 744 | 240 | 452 | 288 | 200 | 454 | 485 | 940 | 2825 | 9498 | 13153 | 8729 | 8846 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:20AM2.49m | 6:01PM2.56m | 6:43AM2.56m | 7:16PM2.70m | 7:52AM2.71m | 8:18PM2.90m | 8:47AM2.89m | 9:09PM3.09m | 9:35AM3.05m | 9:54PM3.23m | 10:18AM3.15m | 10:35PM3.30m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:59PM0.73m | 11:37AM0.74m | 00:21AM0.67m | 12:54PM0.65m | 1:33AM0.51m | 1:59PM0.47m | 2:32AM0.31m | 2:53PM0.28m | 3:23AM0.12m | 3:41PM0.12m | 4:08AM-0.01m | 4:24PM0.03m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — |
mm | 13 | 13 | 27 | 37 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 17 | W 16 | WSW 16 | WNW 9 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | W 16 | W 20 | W 19 | W 18 | — |
| kJ | 7065 | 6947 | 5694 | 2678 | 495 | 742 | 744 | 240 | 452 | 288 | 153 | 454 | 485 | 940 | 2825 | 9498 | 13153 | 8729 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WSW 15 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 9 | W 20 | W 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 23 | W 20 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 766 | 1191 | 256 | 108 | 123 | 84 | 62 | 200 | 273 | 326 | 170 | 530 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 8 | N 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WSW 13 | W 22 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 163 | 164 | 232 | 90 | 218 | 37 | 51 | 35 | 21 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | WSW 17 |
| kJ | — | — | 327 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 272 | — | — | — | — | 8846 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 172 | 100 | 172 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 172 | 100 | 176 | 61 | 124 | 100 | 172 |
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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