
Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 31 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SSE swell with 512 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period with SE 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. 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 1.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 8s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mates, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for the next couple weeks. It’s a pretty quiet stretch overall, with a few windows of clean, small surf, but a whole lot of flat, windy, or just average conditions in between.
The best call is the Saturday morning session, and after that, a couple of early glassy mornings might be worth a look if you’re keen. Let’s get into it.
Saturday, August 1st at New Brighton Beach is the pick. Light rain early, but a moderate SW breeze is offshore for this spot. The swell is a clean 3ft from the SE with a 13-second period. That’s a proper groundswell with decent energy – the combined energy is 349 (moderate). Water temp is 50°F, about 1°F above normal, so nothing crazy. The morning is clean, and the afternoon holds at 3ft, 12-second period (348 combined energy) with a lighter cross-offshore breeze. Not a monster, but it’s the most consistent, cleanest ride of the whole forecast.
After that, it’s a long dry spell. Sunday, August 2nd morning has 3ft from the SE (210 energy) with a light W breeze, but it’s only “very ordinary.” By afternoon, the wind goes onshore and the swell drops to 2ft. From Monday through to the middle of the second week, it’s mostly tiny, windy, or just poor. On Tuesday, August 4th, there’s a 3ft SSE swell with a very long 16-second period, but the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-offshore. The energy is 502 (moderate to strong), but you’d be fighting the wind more than the waves.
Thursday, August 6th morning is glassy, with 3ft from the SE at 11 seconds (189 energy), but it’s still “very ordinary.” A few if you’re keen.
The next real chance is Sunday, August 9th morning. A 4ft SE swell with a 9-second period (194 energy) and a light offshore breeze. Clean, but the period is short, so the waves will be a bit soft and crumbly. Still, it’s the biggest swell height in the whole run.
Monday, August 10th morning has 3ft from the ESE with a light offshore, but short period (8 seconds). Tuesday, August 11th morning is glassy with 3ft from the E, 9-second period (196 energy), but again, “very ordinary.”
The last few days have glassy mornings with small surf. Thursday, August 13th and Friday, August 14th both start glassy with 2ft to 3ft from the E/ENE, periods around 10 seconds (125 to 151 energy). Clean, but small. Saturday, August 15th morning has a light offshore with 3ft from the E, 10-second period (128 energy). Same story.
So, the standout is Saturday, August 1st morning at New Brighton Beach. It’s the cleanest, most consistent, and has the best energy. The backup is Sunday, August 9th morning if you can handle short-period waves with a clean offshore. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or just “very ordinary.” Stay patient, and keep an eye on it – these quiet spells don’t usually last forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 4°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, strong winds from the SW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Tue afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Tue morning, calm by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SE 12 | ESE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 18 | SE 15 | SSE 14 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
245 | 202 | 121 | 205 | 134 | 92 | 48 | 29 | 48 | 499 | 430 | 157 | 164 | 119 | 213 | 179 | 126 | 121 | 273 | 81 | 53 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | on | cross-off | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:42PM1.83m | 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 | 12:31PM0.30m | 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 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | |
— | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:35 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 6 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
Feels °C | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 4 | -4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 18 | SE 15 | SSE 14 | SE 12 |
245 | 202 | 110 | 205 | 134 | 92 | 48 | 21 | 48 | 499 | 430 | 157 | 164 | 119 | 213 | 179 | 126 | 121 | 273 | 81 | 53 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | E 16 | E 16 | NNE 3 | NE 6 | SSE 17 | SSE 15 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 16 | E 12 | ESE 14 | ESE 16 | NE 11 | S 10 | SE 11 | SE 12 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 |
95 | 144 | 121 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 29 | 42 | 3 | 3 | 69 | 3 | 19 | 25 | 5 | 71 | 55 | 210 | 7 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 10 | E 17 | S 19 | NE 16 | S 20 | S 13 | NE 5 | ESE 12 | — | — | E 12 | — | E 18 | ESE 16 | NE 11 | E 18 | SE 13 | — | SE 13 | SSE 12 |
9 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 14 | — | — | 3 | — | 6 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 44 | — | 44 | 14 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | WSW 3 | — | WNW 3 | — | NNW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | SW 3 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | — |
3 | 1 | — | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 25 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 155 | 169 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 9 |
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.











