
Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 7 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SE swell with 427 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 13s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for New Brighton Beach this week:
The surf forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at New Brighton Beach in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) 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 1.4m 14s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. The next 16 days here at New Brighton Beach are looking pretty quiet overall, with a few brief windows of interest, but nothing that’s gonna get the heart rate up too high. You’ll need to be patient and pick your moments.
The water temperature is sitting at 50°F, which is about normal for this time of year—nothing unusual there.
The pattern starts off with a real lack of energy. Saturday afternoon the 1st and Sunday morning the 2nd offer up the best of the early period, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty ordinary. Sunday morning the 2nd has a small 3ft swell from the SE with a 13-second period, clean offshore wind from the W, and light breeze. The combined swell energy is 210 (moderate). It’s surfable, but very ordinary.
After that, Monday the 3rd through to Tuesday the 12th, there’s a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions. Lots of onshore or cross-onshore winds, tiny swell, and some days with barely any energy at all. You’ll have a few clean mornings, but the swell is too small to get excited about. The combined energy often drops into the two-digit range, like 39, 22, or even 3 on Tuesday morning the 4th. There’s a bit of a bump Tuesday afternoon the 4th with 4ft from the SSE, but the wind is cross-off from the SW at 19 mph, and even though the energy is 495 (moderate), the wave quality is poor.
Things start to look a bit more promising around Thursday the 13th. Thursday morning brings a 5ft swell from the ENE with a 13-second period, offshore wind from the WSW at 9 mph, and the combined energy jumps to 868 (moderate to strong). The guidance says this is a very good surf outlook. Thursday afternoon, however, the swell jumps to 10ft with the same period and direction, and the combined energy goes through the roof at 3368 (very strong). That’s too big for this break—experts only, and even then, it might be pushing the limits.
Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th mornings are the real standouts of the whole run. Friday morning the 14th has 5ft from the ENE with 12-second period, clean offshore WSW wind at 9 mph, and combined energy of 582 (moderate to strong). The conditions are clean and good. Saturday morning the 15th is glassy, with 4ft from the E, 11-second period, and combined energy of 279 (moderate). The wind is glassy from the NNE. Both are great windows for a paddle.
After that, Sunday the 16th drops back to smaller, cleaner but ordinary surf—3ft from the E with a 10-second period, glassy or cross-on conditions.
So, the best surf on offer is the morning of the 13th and the morning of the 14th, with the morning of the 15th also looking clean. The Thursday afternoon the 13th is too big for most. For the rest of the forecast, it’s mostly small and average, with a few clean windows but not much push.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 5°C on Tue afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, strong winds from the SW by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Fri afternoon, min 4°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 19 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
121 | 205 | 134 | 72 | 34 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 199 | 162 | 159 | 127 | 82 | 82 | 57 | 395 | 291 | 120 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 7:00AM1.71m | 7:23PM1.81m | 7:44AM1.71m | 8:06PM1.78m | 8:31AM1.72m | 8:53PM1.76m | 9:22AM1.75m | 9:44PM1.75m | 10:17AM1.80m | 10:40PM1.76m | 11:16AM1.86m | 11:39PM1.79m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:03AM0.33m | 1:16PM0.31m | 1:47AM0.33m | 2:03PM0.33m | 2:31AM0.32m | 2:52PM0.34m | 3:18AM0.31m | 3:43PM0.34m | 4:08AM0.29m | 4:37PM0.33m | 5:00AM0.26m | 5:34PM0.31m | |||||||
— | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:35 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
Feels °C | 2 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 4 | -6 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 12 |
110 | 205 | 134 | 72 | 34 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 199 | 162 | 159 | 127 | 82 | 82 | 44 | 395 | 291 | 120 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | E 16 | E 16 | NNE 3 | ENE 6 | WNW 3 | — | — | — | E 12 | — | E 18 | ESE 16 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SE 19 | SE 9 | E 16 | — |
121 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 6 | 25 | 64 | 35 | 57 | 21 | 5 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 17 | S 19 | NE 16 | S 20 | S 13 | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | E 12 | SE 13 | — | S 13 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | NE 16 | — |
6 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | — | 14 | 37 | 32 | 10 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 3 | — | NNW 3 | — | SSW 15 | S 12 | S 14 | S 13 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 2 | — | 3 | — | 74 | 365 | 482 | 434 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 5 | 135 | 124 | 169 | 169 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the New Brighton Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for New Brighton Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at New Brighton Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our New Brighton Beach 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 (New Brighton Beach) 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 New Brighton Beach 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Canterbury? If you are looking for accommodation near New Brighton Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Canterbury, consider staying in Christchurch which is 10 km (6 miles) away.











