Banks Peninsula – Magnet Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Canterbury, New Zealand)

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Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay break guide

Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay Surf Guide

Magnet Bay in Banks Peninsular is an exposed reef and point break that has reasonably consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds blow from the northeast. Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the south southeast.The break here is a left hand point. Best around mid tide when the tide is rising. It very rarely gets crowded here. Take care of rocks in the line up.

Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef and point	3	fairly consistent	14.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay (for consistent clean waves)?

marchBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 35% of the time in March while 33% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 32% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

35%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

33%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

32%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay Location Map

Interactive Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay is Christchurch International Airport (CHC) in New Zealand, 48 km (30 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay is Timaru Airport (TIU), also in New Zealand, 135 km (84 miles) away.

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Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 01:10 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	S	S	S	SSW
Period (s)	17	16	15	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	glass	cross- off	cross- off

What does Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay look like?

Latest photos from Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Woz Credit: Geof Credit: patrickd Credit: Aaron Credit: Vinnie

Tides at Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay, 0 km from Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay.

Next High Water: 06:45am | 1.58m

Next Low Water: 12:59pm | 0.46m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.0 °C) at Banks Peninsula - Magnet Bay is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (13.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.