Surf Forecasts:
Mangawhai Heads surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period, SSE swell with 66 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period with ESE 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 (Aug 19) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Mangawhai Heads in the next 16 days are 1.2m 5s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mangawhai Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here.
Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next week and a half is going to be a real test of patience. There’s barely a ripple out there for the next eight days. We’ve got a stretch from Tuesday the 18th right through to Wednesday the 26th of August that’s just flat or offering up tiny, weak junk. A few windows on Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st show knee-high dribble at Mangawhai Heads (beach and reef) at 2ft from the east, with light offshore winds that would clean it up, but with combined swell energy barely hitting 41 to 45, it’s hardly worth getting the wetsuit wet. The water temp is sitting at a normal 59°F, nothing unusual for the time of year.
Things get a little more interesting at the very back end of the forecast. On Wednesday the 2nd of September, we finally see some life. The morning looks the pick: a 5ft swell from the north-northeast, period around 8 seconds, with a cross-offshore breeze from the north-northwest that should leave the faces clean. Combined swell energy is a moderate 299, so there’s some push behind it. It’s not huge, but it’s the first real sign of a pulse in two weeks. The afternoon holds similar size at 5ft, still clean with a light north wind.
For the standout, I’m pointing you to Mangawhai Heads on the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. It’s not a classic groundswell, but after all that nothing, a 5ft NE swell with clean wind is a solid offering. Just be aware, it can get a bit crowded here when it’s the only game in town, and it’s a beach and reef setup, so keep your eyes open for the locals. The swell direction (NNE) is a good match for the optimum northeast direction for this spot.
After that, the outlook fades again into the start of September, with only marginal conditions showing for Tuesday the 1st. So, mark your calendar for that Wednesday morning if you can wait that long.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue morning, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 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) | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SSE 5 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | E 8 | NE 14 | E 13 | NNW 6 | E 13 | E 12 | NE 12 | E 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 101 | 90 | 24 | 66 | 32 | 30 | 39 | 55 | 34 | 43 | 28 | 40 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 11:08AM2.09m | 11:25PM2.10m | 11:55AM2.01m | 00:11AM1.98m | 12:44PM1.92m | 00:58AM1.87m | 1:35PM1.84m | 1:49AM1.78m | 2:30PM1.79m | 2:44AM1.72m | 3:28PM1.77m | 3:42AM1.71m | 4:25PM1.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:27PM0.30m | 5:53AM0.26m | 6:13PM0.42m | 6:38AM0.35m | 7:02PM0.52m | 7:25AM0.44m | 7:53PM0.61m | 8:16AM0.51m | 8:48PM0.67m | 9:11AM0.54m | 9:47PM0.69m | 10:07AM0.54m | 10:44PM0.66m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | |
 | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 12 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | E 8 | NE 14 | E 13 | NNW 6 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 101 | 90 | 24 | 15 | 3 | 30 | 39 | 55 | 34 | 43 | 28 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 11 | NE 11 | E 5 | N 10 | NE 10 | E 13 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | N 16 | NE 14 | E 9 | NE 12 | E 13 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 12 | E 12 |
| kJ | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 13 | E 16 | E 15 | NE 10 | — | — | — | — | E 14 | — | NE 9 | E 9 | E 14 | E 8 | NE 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 4 | S 4 | S 3 | SSE 5 | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 2 | WNW 2 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | W 3 | WSW 3 | W 3 | WSW 3 | — |
| kJ | 4 | 10 | 8 | 66 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 8 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 10 | 71 | 248 | 5 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 393 | 393 | 393 | 165 | 166 | 166 | 166 | 407 |
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