New Brighton Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.47° S 172.72° E

New Brighton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 29 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's New Brighton Beach sea temperature is
9.5° C
0.1° 

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 28 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, SE swell with 1,341 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. 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 1.7m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 12s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Wed 29th Jul)3ft (0.9m) 13s
Best Surf12PM (Wed 5th Aug)5.5ft (1.7m) 15s
Most Powerful12PM (Wed 5th Aug)5.5ft (1.7m) 15s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks at New Brighton Beach.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start, but don’t let that fool ya. The water temp is sitting at about 49°, which is pretty much bang on normal for this time of year, so no nasty surprises when you first get in.

Wednesday morning, the 29th of July, is our first real nod. We’re looking at a small, clean 3ft wave from the east, with a long 13-second period and glassy conditions. The combined energy is moderate (284), and it’s a beginner-friendly spot, so it’s a nice little session if you’re just getting your feet wet. The wind is dead calm – glassy as it gets. The crowds are possible on a day like this, but it’s not a guarantee.

The pattern through the rest of the week and into the start of August is pretty flat. Thursday and Friday are a write-off with messy cross-shore winds and tiny waves. The weekend brings a bit of a bump, but the conditions are just ordinary. Moderate offshore winds on the 2nd of August clean up the 3ft swell, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Now, the real standout window starts to open up on Tuesday, the 4th of August. The morning shows a 3ft SSE swell, 14-second period, with clean cross-offshore winds. The energy jumps to strong (410). By the afternoon, it’s got a little more push at 4ft, and the energy is up to 484. This is a solid, consistent day for the beach.

But the absolute best of the whole run is Wednesday, the 5th of August. Wednesday morning delivers a 5ft swell from the SE, with a 16-second period and light offshore winds. The energy is a massive 1284 – very strong. By the afternoon, it’s even better: 6ft, still from the SE, glassy wind, and a 1306 energy reading. This is proper groundswell. The long period means it’ll be a bit more lined up, with longer waits between sets, making the paddle out a bit easier. For a beginner spot, that 6ft is getting up there, but it’s still manageable for a keen intermediate.

We get another dose of that quality on Thursday the 6th in the morning, with a 5ft SE swell and offshore winds, strong energy at 934. After that, it tails off a bit, but there’s another flare-up on Sunday the 9th of August. The morning shows a 8ft SE swell, short period (9 seconds), and a gentle offshore. The energy is very strong at 1331. That’s a big wave for this break – over 8ft, so it’s really only for the experienced crew. The short period means it’ll be a bit messier and more powerful on the take-off.

The forecast gets a little wild into the second week. Monday the 10th of August shows a massive 15ft east swell, but the system itself says it’s too big for this break. That’s a monster, and the energy is an enormous 6986. That’s not for paddle surfing; that’s kite territory, or just a day to watch from the shore. It settles back down to a solid 6ft east swell with very long periods (14 seconds) on Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th, with glassy conditions on the morning of the 13th. That’s a promising long-range option, but it’s a bit of a gamble this far out.

To sum it up: the best of the bunch is Wednesday the 5th of August. You’ve got solid, clean, groundswell energy with glassy conditions. A close second is the morning of Sunday the 9th, if you’re feeling brave and want some size. The rest of the window is a waiting game, but the 5th is a lock.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 4°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, strong winds from the SW by Fri night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 10°C on Mon morning, min 3°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat morning, calm by Sun afternoon).

Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
E
13
0.8
E
13
0.8
E
12
0.6
E
12
0.6
E
12
0.9
NNE
8
0.4
E
12
0.4
E
11
0.3
ESE
15
0.4
ESE
16
1
SSE
11
0.8
SE
10
0.8
SE
13
0.8
SE
13
0.7
SE
12
0.6
SE
12
0.8
SSE
14
1.3
SSE
15
1
SSE
14
1.2
SSE
13
1.1
SE
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
276
209
190
104
101
117
43
40
43
98
249
132
202
196
148
89
257
706
407
484
405
Wind (km/h)
0
W
5
NW
5
WNW
20
N
30
NNE
20
N
10
NNW
25
SSW
35
SW
35
SW
30
SW
15
W
20
WSW
15
SW
5
NNW
10
W
20
SSW
10
SW
15
SW
15
SW
15
SW
Wind State
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
glassy
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
4:41PM1.87m
4:56AM1.72m
5:21PM1.87m
5:37AM1.72m
6:01PM1.86m
6:18AM1.71m
6:42PM1.83m
7:00AM1.71m
7:23PM1.81m
7:44AM1.71m
8:06PM1.78m
8:31AM1.72m
8:53PM1.76m
Low Tide
10:20AM0.34m
10:54PM0.38m
11:04AM0.31m
11:37PM0.36m
11:47AM0.30m
00:20AM0.34m
12:31PM0.30m
1:03AM0.33m
1:16PM0.31m
1:47AM0.33m
2:03PM0.33m
2:31AM0.32m
2:52PM0.34m
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:46
7:43
7:43
7:41
7:41
7:39
7:39
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:24
5:25
5:27
5:28
5:29
5:30
5:30
 mm
1
3
3
1
Temp °C
10
13
11
14
14
12
11
10
6
6
6
6
8
9
7
10
9
8
8
8
7
Feels °C
8
11
9
7
7
6
5
4
-5
-3
-1
0
2
5
5
6
4
4
3
3
2
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for New Brighton Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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 New Brighton Beach 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest