Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 16s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, SSE swell with 627 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 16s period with SSE 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 Monday (Aug 03) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at New Brighton Beach in the next 16 days are 1.3m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 14s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
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 – the next couple of weeks at New Brighton Beach are a bit of a mixed bag, with a proper long wait before anything really gets going. We’ve got a stretch of small, weak, and often messy surf to start, then a couple of standout windows later on that are worth keeping an eye on.
First up, from Monday the 3rd right through to the end of the following week, it’s mostly a write-off. We’re looking at tiny swells, mostly under 2ft, with a lot of onshore wind and very ordinary conditions. The water temp is sitting at 50°F, which is about average for this time of year. There’s a brief tease on Wednesday the 5th morning with a 3ft swell from the SE and a light offshore wind, but the wave energy is weak (196) and the conditions are only ordinary. That’s not enough to get wet for. The gap of poor surf runs for about 10 days straight.
Now, the real story starts on Friday the 14th of August. That morning we’ve got a glassy start with the wind swinging light SSW, and the swell is a punchy 5ft from the ENE. Combined energy is moderate (320) – it’s got some grunt. This is a beach break, so the longer period (8 seconds) means it’ll be a bit straight and dumpy, but for a bigger day, it’s the best on offer. By the afternoon, the swell jumps to 7ft from the ENE with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SW, and the energy jumps to strong (587). That’s legitimate, but at 7ft this is only for experienced surfers. It’s too big for beginners. The crowd factor? New Brighton can get a crew, so expect a few locals out.
Then, on Monday the 17th of August, we get another solid window. Morning has a 4ft swell from the SE with a clean offshore wind from the W and moderate energy (292). The afternoon holds steady at 4ft from the SE, with a light cross-offshore breeze and energy hitting 304. Conditions are clean, and the swell is a consistent size for a good session. This is the standout for the second week – not huge, but quality.
Overall, the pick of the whole 16-day window is Friday the 14th, particularly the afternoon session with that 7ft ENE swell and clean cross-offshore wind. It’s a big day for the experienced crew. The Monday the 17th is a solid, more manageable backup. Everything else? Save your energy and wait for a better forecast.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Mon afternoon, min 3°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Mon night, calm by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Sat morning, min 4°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 13 | ESE 11 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 47 | 21 | 162 | 3 | 3 | 209 | 191 | 156 | 96 | 104 | 180 | 81 | 98 | 63 | 44 | 42 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 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 | 12:16PM1.94m | 00:39AM1.84m | 1:15PM2.02m | 1:38AM1.90m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 5:55AM0.22m | 6:32PM0.27m | 6:52AM0.16m | 7:30PM0.21m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | |  | |
 | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Feels °C | 8 | 7 | 5 | -5 | -3 | -1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 11 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 47 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 209 | 191 | 156 | 96 | 104 | 77 | 81 | 82 | 63 | 44 | 42 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 5 | NNE 3 | E 13 | NW 5 | — | E 12 | — | E 18 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | SE 14 | ESE 13 | SSE 16 | SE 16 | NE 4 | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | NE 5 | E 13 |
| kJ | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | — | 6 | 26 | 44 | 46 | 35 | 98 | 40 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | — | SE 15 | — | — | — | E 16 | NE 12 | E 11 | ESE 15 | SE 13 | SSE 18 | ENE 3 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | NE 7 | NNW 3 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | SE 13 | E 6 |
| kJ | 13 | — | 8 | — | — | — | 5 | 6 | 3 | 86 | 180 | 31 | 1 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | S 15 | SSE 12 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | ENE 3 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | — | S 4 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 41 | 162 | 426 | 374 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | 2 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 81 | 81 | 169 | 169 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 4 | 20 | 45 | 43 |
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.
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