New Brighton Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.47° S 172.72° E

New Brighton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 16 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's New Brighton Beach sea temperature is
10.3° C
0.8° 

New Brighton Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 23s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 23s period, SSE swell with 1,798 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period with E 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 Friday (Jul 17) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 18s. 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 1.3m 23s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 9AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Fri 17th Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 16s
Best Surf 3PM (Sat 18th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 23s
Most Powerful 3PM (Sat 18th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 23s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’ll be straight with you—this isn’t a run that’s gonna have you phoning in sick. The next 16 days at New Brighton Beach are a real mixed bag, with a few bright spots early on and then a whole lot of waiting. There’s a noticeable gap from the 22nd of July right through the end of the month where the good stuff just isn’t there, so don’t get your hopes up for a long stretch of fun.

The best window is actually this weekend. Saturday, 18 July afternoon is the standout. The swell pushes up to 4ft from the SSE with a very long period of 23 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is a solid 2532 (moderate to strong), and the wind is glassy from the WNW. That’s going to be clean, lined-up, and powerful. It’s a bit much for beginners, but for experienced surfers, it’s the pick of the fortnight. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing weird there.

Saturday morning is also worth a look – 3ft from the east with a 15-second period and cross-offshore winds. It’ll be clean and fun, though not as grunty as the afternoon. The combined energy is 869 (moderate), so still some push.

Friday morning, the 17th, brings a glassy 3ft east swell with a long 17-second period. The energy is low (494), but it’s clean. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

After that, it really drops off. From Monday the 20th onwards, the swell gets smaller and the wind turns messy. There’s a long stretch from the 22nd of July to the 31st where the scores are poor, and the swell is tiny or wind-blown. The 26th of July actually has a 6ft ESE swell, but it’s blowing a near gale cross-onshore – that’s a full-on blown-out mess, more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

The very end of the run, on the 31st of July and 1st of August, shows a tiny uptick with clean 2ft to 2ft swells, but the energy is weak and the waves are small. It’s a little tease for the future, but not worth planning around.

So, bottom line: your best bet is Saturday afternoon, 18 July at New Brighton Beach. Get it while it’s good. After that, it’s a long dry spell.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sat afternoon, min 6°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
1
2
3
4
3
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.7
E
17
0.9
E
17
1
E
16
1
E
15
1
E
15
1.3
SSE
23
0.9
SSE
21
0.6
E
13
0.8
SSE
19
0.5
E
12
0.5
SSE
19
0.7
SSE
19
0.5
SSE
17
0.3
SSE
14
0.3
SSE
13
0.2
SSE
11
0.2
SSE
11
0.1
E
11
0.1
E
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
270
465
520
484
447
1798
763
130
486
77
207
312
170
37
33
13
11
4
3
Wind (km/h)
5
ESE
5
W
5
ENE
10
W
5
W
5
WNW
15
WSW
5
WNW
15
E
10
ESE
15
WSW
5
ESE
10
NE
5
WNW
0
E
10
WSW
10
SW
10
ENE
10
ENE
Wind State
glassy
glassy
on
off
cross-off
glassy
off
glassy
on
cross-on
off
cross-on
on
glassy
glassy
off
off
on
on
High Tide
6:34AM2.05m
7:05PM2.18m
7:31AM2.01m
8:00PM2.09m
8:28AM1.95m
8:56PM2.00m
9:27AM1.89m
9:51PM1.90m
10:24AM1.84m
10:47PM1.81m
11:21AM1.80m
11:41PM1.74m
Low Tide
00:33AM0.00m
12:52PM-0.04m
1:28AM0.02m
1:48PM0.02m
2:22AM0.06m
2:44PM0.10m
3:15AM0.12m
3:38PM0.20m
4:07AM0.19m
4:33PM0.29m
4:58AM0.27m
5:26PM0.37m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
light rain
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:56
7:54
7:54
7:54
7:52
7:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:14
5:15
5:15
5:15
5:16
5:17
 mm
1
1
Temp °C
9
8
9
9
10
13
11
10
10
10
8
9
8
8
12
10
10
11
10
Feels °C
7
6
6
7
8
11
8
8
6
7
7
7
5
6
10
6
8
8
7
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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