Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period, SE swell with 258 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with ENE 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at New Brighton Beach in the next 16 days are 0.7m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 16s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, listen up. This is New Brighton Beach, and I’ll be straight with you—it’s a tough stretch ahead. The swell is on the small side for most of the run, and the quality is ordinary. There’s a little window of opportunity around Thursday morning, August 13th, but it’s not one for the faint-hearted. The water temp is sitting at 49°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Thursday morning, August 13th—that’s your best bet. We’ve got a 7ft swell from the NE, with a period of just 8 seconds. That’s short-period, wind swell, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and not super clean. The wind is cross-on from the ENE at 6 mph, which adds some texture. The combined energy is sitting at 838, which is moderate, so there’s some push behind it. But honestly, it’s marginal—questionable tide conditions and only a 2/5 rating for the break. It’s inconsistent and best for beginners, but with that size, it might be a bit much for a total newbie. The crowds are sometimes there, so you might have some company. This is the only real standout, and it’s not a classic.
From Thursday afternoon onward, things drop off fast. Thursday afternoon gets glassy but only 4ft from the ENE, and the combined energy plummets to 160. That’s weak. Friday morning, August 14th, has a clean offshore wind from the WSW at 6 mph, but the swell is just 2ft from the E—tiny, with combined energy of 60. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The pattern continues through the weekend and into the following week: small waves (1ft to 2ft), mostly clean from offshore winds, but the energy is weak—often under 100. A few days have some glassy conditions, like Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, August 14th and 15th, but the swell is just too small to get excited about.
There’s a gap from Saturday, August 15th, through to Tuesday, August 19th, where the surf is either poor or just ordinary. Then on Wednesday morning, August 19th, we get a little spike: a 2ft SE swell with a long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy reads 263, which is moderate. The wind is offshore from the WSW at 9 mph, so it’s clean. But the swell is still small—only 2ft—so it’s not going to be a day of big waves. The long period means better shaped waves but longer lulls between sets. It’s surfable, but only just.
After that, from Thursday, August 20th, all the way through to Wednesday, August 27th, the surf is consistently poor. Swells are tiny (0.3ft to 2ft), combined energy is mostly below 100, and the wind is often cross-on or onshore. There’s one morning on Thursday, August 27th, with a clean offshore wind and 3ft from the NNE, but the period is only 4 seconds—that’s just wind chop. The energy is 51, weak. It’s not worth paddling out for.
Finally, Friday morning, August 28th, we get a slight improvement: 3ft from the ENE with a period of 9 seconds, combined energy at 162, and a clean offshore wind from the WSW at 9 mph. The afternoon is similar with 2ft and moderate offshore wind. But it’s still small and ordinary.
So here’s the bottom line: Thursday morning, August 13th, is your only real shot, and it’s marginal. For the rest of the 16 days, it’s a flat spell with small, weak waves. If you’re desperate, bring a log and enjoy the clean air, but don’t expect any barrels. The break is a beach, and with the small swell and strong winds on some days, it might be more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 4°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue afternoon, min 3°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | SSE 15 | SE 16 | SE 14 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
619 | 142 | 71 | 52 | 55 | 57 | 38 | 36 | 65 | 42 | 43 | 65 | 44 | 26 | 43 | 28 | 52 | 44 | 258 | 169 | 89 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | off | off | glassy | glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:55PM2.19m | 5:17AM2.05m | 5:47PM2.16m | 6:11AM2.02m | 6:39PM2.09m | 7:05AM1.98m | 7:31PM2.00m | 8:00AM1.93m | 8:24PM1.90m | 8:55AM1.87m | 9:18PM1.81m | 9:51AM1.81m | 10:14PM1.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:40AM-0.04m | 11:15PM0.03m | 11:35AM-0.02m | 00:08AM0.03m | 12:29PM0.02m | 1:01AM0.06m | 1:23PM0.09m | 1:52AM0.12m | 2:17PM0.18m | 2:43AM0.19m | 3:10PM0.27m | 3:34AM0.27m | 4:02PM0.36m | ||||||||
7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:47 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 10 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 7 | -2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 9 | SE 6 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | SSE 10 | SE 16 | SE 14 | SE 12 |
181 | 142 | 71 | 52 | 55 | 57 | 38 | 36 | 65 | 19 | 43 | 65 | 44 | 26 | 43 | 28 | 52 | 42 | 258 | 169 | 89 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 6 | E 9 | SE 6 | SSE 17 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 14 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | E 11 | E 9 |
19 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 42 | 19 | 27 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | — | SE 10 | E 16 | ESE 14 | S 18 | S 17 | S 17 | E 13 | E 13 | SSE 19 | E 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | SSE 7 | SE 10 | S 15 | SSE 15 | E 10 | E 13 | — |
19 | — | 4 | 5 | 40 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 5 | 24 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 2 | 4 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | — | — | SW 3 | SSW 3 | — | — | SSW 3 | S 3 | SW 2 | SSW 2 | — | S 7 | SSW 3 | WSW 2 | — | — | SSW 10 | — | — | — |
619 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | 324 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1375 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 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.











