
Surf Forecasts:
Mangamaunu surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, S swell with 1,229 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Mangamaunu this week:
The surf forecast for Mangamaunu over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 3s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Mangamaunu in the next 16 days are 1.7m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mangamaunu over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let's get into it.
The first few days are a bit of a waiting game, but once the wind and swell line up, this spot really fires. The main event is a solid, long-period South swell that pushes through the middle of the window, and we’ve got a couple of real standout sessions.
We start off Monday, July 20th with a bit of a tease. The swell is a solid 7ft from the South, running on a very long 18-second period, which gives it some serious grunt. The combined wave energy is a massive 3140, so it’s a powerful groundswell. But the wind is from the East, putting it onshore, and the report calls it marginal. It’s a big, lumpy setup for now.
Things change fast. Tuesday morning, July 21st is where it starts to get interesting. The swell drops to 5ft from the South, but the period is still a solid 14 seconds. The wind swings to the West, giving us clean offshore conditions. The energy is a moderate 923. This is a really good wave, but it’s going to be for advanced surfers only. The crowd is rare here, so you’ll have plenty of room.
Tuesday afternoon is a dream. The swell settles to 5ft from the South, period at 13 seconds, and the wind goes completely flat. Glassy. The energy is 733. Conditions are described as "very good," and for a point break like Mangamaunu, that’s as good as it gets. This is the best of the first week.
The next few days drop off quickly. Wednesday, July 22nd sees the swell drop to 3ft, and by Thursday, we’re down to knee-high dribble. The wind is good, but there’s no push. There’s a long gap of poor to no surf from the 23rd through the 25th. On Saturday, July 25th, the wind is howling from the WSW at 19 mph, and while there’s a 5ft swell, it’s short-period slop. Not worth it.
The second week brings a new pulse. Monday, July 27th is a real standout. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the East with a 15-second period, clean with a cross-offshore wind and an energy of 799. The afternoon gets even better: 5ft from the ESE, 13-second period, light wind, and an energy of 1042. The report calls it "excellent for experienced surfers." This is the best of the second week, but it’s a long-range call, so it’s promising but not guaranteed.
Tuesday, July 28th is a bit messy with cross-on winds, but the swell is similar. Then Wednesday, July 29th cleans up again with a 4ft ESE swell and light offshore winds. The energy is 588.
There’s another small window at the very end. Sunday, August 2nd is a big one. The morning brings a 10ft swell from the South, period of 10 seconds, and glassy conditions. The energy is a massive 2059. That is a big wave. It’s for experts only, and it’s at the very end of the forecast, so treat it with caution. The period is short, so it might be a bit lumpy, but on a point break, it could still be a beast.
The water temperature is 53°F with a slight anomaly of 1°F warmer, so it’s about average for this time of year at Mangamaunu. Bring a good suit.
The standout sessions are Tuesday afternoon, July 21st for the glassy, clean perfection, and Monday afternoon, July 27th for the punchy, longer-period swell. The big one on August 2nd is a promise for the brave.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Mon afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 5°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the SSW by Sun morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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) | S 18 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 13 | SSE 13 | NNE 5 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 16 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 16 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
2890 | 1472 | 844 | 663 | 336 | 203 | 89 | 55 | 29 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 48 | 294 | 224 | 169 | 268 | 261 | 222 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | off | glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:55PM1.52m | 10:26AM1.47m | 10:48PM1.45m | 11:19AM1.45m | 11:40PM1.39m | 12:10PM1.43m | 00:30AM1.35m | 12:59PM1.43m | 1:18AM1.33m | 1:45PM1.43m | 2:04AM1.32m | 2:30PM1.44m | 2:48AM1.32m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:14AM0.13m | 4:39PM0.19m | 5:04AM0.18m | 5:32PM0.25m | 5:52AM0.23m | 6:23PM0.30m | 6:39AM0.27m | 7:13PM0.33m | 7:24AM0.30m | 8:00PM0.34m | 8:09AM0.31m | 8:46PM0.34m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | |
5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 3 | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Feels °C | 7 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -2 | -1 | 0 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 9 | SSE 13 | NE 4 | NE 6 | NE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | ENE 6 | SE 13 | S 8 | ESE 16 | SE 6 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 |
2890 | 1472 | 844 | 663 | 336 | 203 | 41 | 55 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 27 | 224 | 169 | 80 | 261 | 222 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | S 13 | SSW 13 | S 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | NNE 8 | ESE 12 | NNE 5 | SSW 17 | SE 14 | SSW 16 | ESE 14 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 |
125 | 88 | 70 | 70 | 31 | 23 | 89 | 34 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 57 | 53 | 85 | 268 | 50 | 51 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | — | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | NE 4 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 12 | NE 8 | SSW 16 | ENE 8 | SSW 16 | NNE 7 | SSW 15 | E 11 | E 12 |
125 | — | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 48 | 6 | 51 | 5 | 75 | 61 | 141 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNE 4 | — | — | — | — | NNE 2 | NNE 5 | — | — | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | WSW 2 | S 8 | NE 3 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | — |
— | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 29 | — | — | 53 | 62 | 1 | 294 | 6 | 174 | 60 | 39 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 100 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 51 | 285 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 161 | 13 | 0 | 104 | 30 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kaikoura and Marlborough | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Mangamaunu Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Mangamaunu provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Mangamaunu can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Mangamaunu 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 (Mangamaunu) 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 Mangamaunu 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.
Mangamaunu is 89 km (55 miles) from the city of Blenheim. If you plan a holiday in Kaikoura and Marlborough, look for hotels and other accommodation in Blenheim. Blenheim has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










