Surf Forecasts:
Mangawhai Heads surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period, E swell with 324 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period with E 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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 16s. 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 0.9m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mangawhai Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Mangawhai Heads.
We’re looking at a pretty drawn-out, quiet start to the outlook. The first few days are a bit of a write-off for a proper surf, with small, weak east swell and wind that’s mostly making a mess of things. Wave energy is low, around the 125 mark, and it’s just not coming together. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.
Saturday the 25th is a no-go – strong offshore winds, but the swell is tiny and the conditions are poor. Sunday the 26th morning offers a bit of a tease with glassy conditions and a 2ft east swell, but the energy is weak (82) and it’s just ordinary. Monday and Tuesday stay small and underwhelming.
Now, Wednesday the 29th morning is where things start to look up. The wind drops to glassy, and the swell bumps up to 3ft from the east, with a period of 13 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 284. It’s clean, glassy, and the first real chance for a fun little session. This is the standout of the first week, but it’s not big – just a nice, clean, surfable morning.
The rest of the first week and into the second week is mostly small and messy, with energy dropping off into the 20s and 30s. There’s a long gap of poor conditions from the 31st of July right through to the 8th of August.
Then, look out. On Saturday the 8th of August, a big bump in swell arrives. The afternoon shows a 12ft east-northeast swell, but with a short 8-second period and onshore wind, it’s going to be a choppy, closed-out mess. The energy is strong at 1274, but it’s not for paddle surfing – this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.
The real standout is Sunday the 9th of August morning. We’ve got a 15ft east-northeast swell, 10-second period, and light offshore wind. The combined energy is a massive 3845. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers only, as it’s over 8ft. It’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it, but it’s the big one on offer. This is for the crew who know what they’re doing.
That’s the story from Mangawhai Heads. A quiet start, a glassy window mid-week, and a big, powerful, expert-only swell on the horizon for the 9th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri night, min 8°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat morning, calm by Sun morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 7 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 15 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 119 | 85 | 90 | 92 | 58 | 67 | 127 | 112 | 121 | 168 | 167 | 173 | 302 | 280 | 276 | 212 | 190 | 139 | 94 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 3:24AM1.78m | 4:06PM1.81m | 4:17AM1.76m | 4:59PM1.83m | 5:09AM1.77m | 5:49PM1.88m | 5:58AM1.81m | 6:35PM1.94m | 6:45AM1.85m | 7:19PM2.00m | 7:29AM1.89m | 8:00PM2.06m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 1:08PM0.36m | 1:41AM0.48m | 1:51PM0.32m | 2:24AM0.42m | ||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | |
 | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — |
mm | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | NNW 6 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 |
| kJ | 119 | 40 | 90 | 92 | 58 | 37 | 127 | 112 | 121 | 168 | 167 | 173 | 302 | 280 | 276 | 212 | 190 | 139 | 94 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 11 | N 7 | N 7 | E 16 | E 15 | N 6 | SE 5 | SE 6 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | N 9 | N 9 | NE 12 | NE 11 |
| kJ | 2 | 85 | 9 | 4 | 20 | 67 | 3 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 9 | E 17 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | — | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | — | N 10 | — | — | — | E 12 | NE 12 | N 9 | NE 19 |
| kJ | — | — | 8 | 6 | 4 | 9 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | W 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 4 | — | — | SSE 3 | S 3 | SSW 3 | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | N 2 | N 3 | N 3 | N 5 |
| kJ | 114 | 70 | 115 | 42 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 51 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 128 | 393 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 393 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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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