Surf Forecasts:
Mangawhai Heads surf forecast from 17 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, NNE swell with 315 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Mangawhai Heads this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Mangawhai Heads in the next 16 days are 1.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mangawhai Heads over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Fri afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 8 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NNE 8 | NNW 8 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 11 | SE 4 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 161 | 315 | 142 | 72 | 36 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 41 | 13 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:05PM1.93m | 00:19AM1.83m | 12:55PM1.85m | 1:10AM1.74m | 1:49PM1.79m | 2:06AM1.69m | 2:48PM1.76m | 3:05AM1.67m | 3:46PM1.79m | 4:04AM1.70m | 4:39PM1.85m | 4:58AM1.77m | 5:27PM1.93m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:26PM0.54m | 6:44AM0.47m | 7:17PM0.62m | 7:36AM0.54m | 8:12PM0.68m | 8:32AM0.58m | 9:12PM0.69m | 9:30AM0.57m | 10:10PM0.65m | 10:25AM0.54m | 11:04PM0.57m | 11:17AM0.47m | 11:52PM0.47m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — |
mm | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 8 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NNW 5 | NNW 8 | NE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 8 | E 10 | NE 12 | N 6 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 |
| kJ | 161 | 315 | 142 | 72 | 36 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 11 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | NNE 8 | E 11 | E 11 | NE 9 | NE 8 | E 10 | NE 13 | E 10 | NE 12 | E 12 | — | E 10 | E 10 | NE 11 | E 16 |
| kJ | 5 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | ESE 13 | E 8 | — | — | E 9 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | N 6 | E 9 | E 10 | NE 13 | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | E 17 | E 17 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 3 | 35 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | 6 | 6 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | — | SW 3 | SW 4 | WSW 4 | W 4 | WSW 5 | SW 5 | SW 4 | SW 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 4 | W 3 | W 3 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SE 4 | — | SSE 3 |
| kJ | 72 | — | 12 | 16 | 29 | 35 | 78 | 62 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 17 | — | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 23 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 393 | 584 | 372 | 166 | 166 | 420 | 331 | 369 | 393 | 287 | 369 | 393 | 147 | 90 | 5 | 30 |
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