Surf Forecasts:
Mangawhai Heads surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 15s period, NE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period, NE swell with 61 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 15s period with NE 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Mangawhai Heads in the next 16 days are 0.4m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) 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 1.0m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mangawhai Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a tough run ahead for Mangawhai Heads. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty grim, with very little in the way of proper surf. Most days we’ve got tiny dribble and messy wind.
We start off on Tuesday, the 8th of September, with a weak 2ft swell from the north, but it’s a short period windswell of 7 seconds and a cross-offshore wind. The energy is barely there (34). It’s a poor setup.
Wednesday the 9th through to the end of the 16-day period is just a long stretch of tiny, weak waves. The combined swell energy mostly stays in the low double digits or below 100, which is rock-bottom. We’re looking at 0.3ft to 1ft for the most part, with wavering cross-offshore winds. There are a few brief windows of offshore wind – like Thursday morning the 10th, and then again Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th – but the swell is too small to do anything with. A 1ft wave with a clean face is still just a ripple.
The only real blip in the whole forecast is late on Sunday the 20th of September. We get a spike in the swell to 4ft from the NNW, but the period is a shocker at just 6 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 119, which is still only moderate. However, the wind is a fresh cross-offshore at 18 mph, and the wave comment is still “poor surf conditions.” For a beach and reef setup like Mangawhai Heads, that short-period swell and strong cross-off wind will make it a choppy, bumpy mess. It honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper paddle session.
Honestly, there are no good surf options in this 16-day window. The break is fairly consistent, but that doesn’t mean much when the swell just doesn’t show up. It tends not to stay this poor for long, but this run is a real dud.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Fri afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | ||||||||||||||
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) | N 7 | N 7 | ENE 10 | NE 15 | NE 9 | NE 14 | NE 14 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 14 | NE 13 | NE 12 | ENE 13 | NE 13 | NNE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 27 | 14 | 9 | 36 | 20 | 30 | 32 | 26 | 27 | 36 | 26 | 24 | 16 | 25 | 16 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 4:29PM2.09m | 4:52AM1.99m | 5:28PM2.16m | 5:52AM2.05m | 6:22PM2.24m | 6:46AM2.12m | 7:12PM2.29m | 7:36AM2.18m | 7:59PM2.30m | 8:23AM2.21m | 8:43PM2.28m | 9:08AM2.20m | 9:26PM2.22m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:57PM0.38m | 11:17AM0.24m | 11:57PM0.29m | 12:15PM0.19m | 00:51AM0.20m | 1:08PM0.14m | 1:40AM0.13m | 1:57PM0.13m | 2:26AM0.09m | 2:43PM0.14m | 3:09AM0.09m | 3:28PM0.19m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 12 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 9 | N 4 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 13 | NE 14 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 |
| kJ | 27 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 22 | 36 | 21 | 16 | 8 | 25 | 8 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 15 | NE 13 | NE 14 | NE 14 | NE 9 | NE 13 | NE 14 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NNE 12 | ENE 9 | NNE 13 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 9 | 9 | 36 | 7 | 30 | 32 | 19 | 27 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | NE 17 | NE 15 | N 6 | — | SE 8 | NE 16 | NE 13 | NNE 15 | ENE 13 | NNE 13 | ESE 7 | ENE 13 | N 16 | E 9 | N 14 | N 14 | N 13 | N 13 | N 13 |
| kJ | 4 | 12 | 8 | 3 | — | 2 | 10 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | W 2 | NW 2 | SW 3 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 3 | SW 3 | WSW 3 | SW 3 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 29 | 20 | 20 | 33 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 42 | 73 | 73 | 50 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 128 | 152 | 10 | 124 | 124 | 145 | 124 | 145 | 331 | 166 | 42 | 166 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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