Mahanga Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Mahanga Beach Surf Guide

Mahanga Beach in Mahia is a fairly exposed beach and point break that usually has waves and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the west. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the northeast. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves and there is a left hand point break too. Best around mid tide when the tide is rising. Sometimes crowded. Crowds may reach hazard levels at this break - consider wearing a lid.

Mahanga Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	3	consistent	15.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Mahanga Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Mahanga Beach occur when a East-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Mahanga Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Mahanga Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 12% of the time in July while 19% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 69% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

12%

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

blown out

19%

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

too small

69%

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

Explore Mahanga Beach Location Map

Interactive Mahanga Beach 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 Mahanga Beach is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 42 km (26 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Mahanga Beach is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 151 km (94 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
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.

Mahanga Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 23:31 Local Time

m, °C	Thu	Friday 08
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	NE	NE	S	NE
Period (s)	6	6	14	6
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross	cross- off	cross

What does Mahanga Beach look like?

Latest photos from Mahanga Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Mahanga Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Waikokopu, New Zealand, 6 km from Mahanga Beach.

Next High Water: 10:17am | 1.46m

Next Low Water: 04:15am | 0.42m

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

Mahanga Beach Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.7 °C) at Mahanga Beach is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (19.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 15.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite