Surf Forecasts:
Mangawhai Heads surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, N swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, E swell with 361 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Mangawhai Heads this week:
The surf forecast for Mangawhai Heads over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Mangawhai Heads in the next 16 days are 1.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mangawhai Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s cookin’ at Mangawhai Heads.
Gotta be straight with you: the first few days are a total write-off. From Wednesday the 22nd of July through the end of the month, it’s flat and weak. Swell’s barely a foot, energy is pathetic, and you’re just wasting gas. That’s a solid week of nothing.
Your first real chance to get wet is Monday the 27th of July. The morning is still a bit iffy with a 4-foot ESE swell and a short period, but the afternoon cleans up with a light offshore breeze, dropping to 3 feet with a better 13-second period. The energy is moderate (260). It’s a start.
The absolute best bet in the first week is the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July. We’re talkin’ light offshore wind from the west, glassy water, and a clean 3-foot east groundswell with a 14-second period. The energy is good (311). The water temp is about 60°, which is normal for this time of year. This is your day.
Then it gets a bit chaotic again until the weekend. The next big one is Saturday the 1st of August. The morning has a clean 5-foot swell from the SE with a short period, but light offshore wind. The afternoon jumps to a solid 7-foot from the ESE with a 9-second period, and the energy is pumping at 864. That’s a lot of water moving. For a beach-and-reef spot like Mangawhai Heads, that’s expert-only territory in the afternoon. The morning is the smarter play for most.
The last real gem is Wednesday the 5th of August. The morning is a glass-off dream: no wind, a light offshore from the NW, and a clean 3-foot east swell with a 12-second period. The energy is moderate (253). This is a classic, clean, fun session.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a dud, but the 29th of July morning and the 5th of August morning are your standouts. The 1st of August morning is good for the experienced crew. Crowds are possible, so get there early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Wed morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | E 5 | ESE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 5 | E 7 | E 6 | E 8 | N 7 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SE 5 | ESE 8 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 15 | E 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 31 | 187 | 136 | 125 | 87 | 58 | 57 | 74 | 155 | 222 | 246 | 257 | 271 | 339 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:24PM1.91m | 1:39AM1.92m | 2:17PM1.85m | 2:30AM1.83m | 3:12PM1.82m | 3:24AM1.78m | 4:06PM1.81m | 4:17AM1.76m | 4:59PM1.83m | 5:09AM1.77m | 5:49PM1.88m | 5:58AM1.81m | 6:35PM1.94m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:40PM0.49m | 8:08AM0.40m | 8:32PM0.58m | 8:58AM0.46m | 9:27PM0.64m | 9:50AM0.49m | 10:22PM0.65m | 10:42AM0.49m | 11:16PM0.64m | 11:33AM0.46m | 00:08AM0.60m | 12:22PM0.42m | 00:56AM0.55m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | ENE 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 5 | E 7 | E 6 | E 8 | E 10 | N 7 | E 11 | E 11 | NW 5 | E 11 | E 14 | ESE 8 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 15 | E 15 |
| kJ | 14 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 31 | 65 | 51 | 125 | 87 | 23 | 57 | 57 | 155 | 222 | 246 | 257 | 271 | 339 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 7 | NE 7 | E 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 12 | N 7 | N 7 | E 11 | NNW 7 | ESE 11 | E 14 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | E 6 | NE 10 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 12 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 136 | 9 | 4 | 58 | 18 | 37 | 136 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | E 10 | E 11 | NE 7 | SE 10 | — | — | — | E 18 | E 16 | E 15 | N 6 | N 6 | NW 7 | N 11 | N 11 | — | — |
| kJ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | 6 | 20 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 2 | WSW 2 | WSW 3 | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | N 7 | WSW 5 | SW 5 | WSW 4 | NW 5 | WSW 4 | SE 5 | S 4 | SSW 3 | S 3 | S 3 | S 3 | SSE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 3 | 29 | 187 | 75 | 98 | 20 | 60 | 27 | 74 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 166 | 166 | 86 | 166 | 393 | 73 | 393 | 10 | 128 | 278 | 0 | 75 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Mangawhai Heads 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 Mangawhai Heads Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Mangawhai Heads provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Mangawhai Heads can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Mangawhai Heads 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 (Mangawhai Heads) 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 Mangawhai Heads 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.
Mangawhai Heads is 46 km (29 miles) from the city of Whangarei. If you plan a holiday in Northland, look for hotels and other accommodation in Whangarei. Whangarei has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest