Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NE swell with 808 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s. 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 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it for New Brighton Beach. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat, to be honest. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing much to get excited about. The overall pattern is just small, weak swell with messy wind, so you’ll need to be patient.
The first time we see anything surfable is Wednesday afternoon, August 26th. There’s a tiny 0.7ft swell from the SSE, with a 17-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell, but the energy is weak at 54. The wind is a cross-off from the SW at 15 km/h, keeping it clean, but it’s so small you’d be dragging your fins. The water’s a touch warmer than normal at 51°F, so that’s a small win.
Then we hit a real flat spell. From Thursday the 27th through the end of the month, it’s all poor conditions. The swell bumps up on Friday morning the 28th with a 5ft ENE swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-onshore, making it choppy. The energy reading is 348, which is moderate, but it’s not clean. For a beginner spot that’s already inconsistent, it’s a pass.
We get a few more ‘surfable but very ordinary’ moments on Monday morning August 31st and Tuesday morning September 1st. The swell is tiny, around 1ft to 2ft, with long periods from the SSE. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but the energy is still low (56-116). It’s a longboard or floaty session at best.
After that, it’s back to poor conditions and strong wind. The wind howls from the WNW at 55 km/h on Wednesday morning September 2nd, which is near gale force. The swell is a messy 3ft from the NNE with a 4-second period – weak junk. The next few days are more of the same: small, wind-affected, and unrideable.
We see some bigger numbers later in the week. Thursday September 3rd has a 1ft swell from the SSE with a 21-second period – a very long period groundswell – but it’s tiny. The energy is moderate at 177, but the wind is cross-shore and messy. Monday September 7th morning has a 3ft ENE swell with a 9-second period, energy at 154, but again, the wind is a fresh cross-shore, so it’s lumpy.
The best chance in the whole outlook might be the very end. Tuesday September 8th afternoon has a 4ft clean swell from the north with a 4-second period – a short-period windswell – but the wind is a clean cross-off from the NW at 30 km/h. Wednesday September 9th afternoon and Thursday September 10th morning both have glassy conditions with tiny swells. Thursday the 10th morning has a 1ft swell from the SE with a 12-second period, energy at 47, and it’s glassy – clean, but very small.
The standout? There isn’t one. There’s no single session worth dropping everything for. The best you can hope for is a clean, small day with a long-period swell on August 31st or September 1st, or a glassy morning on September 10th. This is a lean period for New Brighton.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 7°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, strong winds from the NE by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 6°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun morning, calm by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 12 | N 4 | ENE 7 | SSE 18 | SSE 13 | ENE 9 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
101 | 100 | 94 | 153 | 264 | 173 | 58 | 42 | 24 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 30 | 68 | 8 | 142 | 68 | 56 | 54 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:42AM1.72m | 4:06PM1.86m | 4:22AM1.75m | 4:46PM1.87m | 5:03AM1.77m | 5:26PM1.87m | 5:45AM1.79m | 6:08PM1.86m | 6:30AM1.81m | 6:52PM1.84m | 7:17AM1.83m | 7:40PM1.82m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:34PM0.38m | 9:45AM0.31m | 10:17PM0.34m | 10:30AM0.28m | 11:00PM0.31m | 11:15AM0.26m | 11:44PM0.28m | 12:01PM0.25m | 00:29AM0.27m | 12:49PM0.26m | 1:15AM0.26m | 1:39PM0.27m | 2:04AM0.26m | ||||||
— | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | |
mm | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | E 9 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 |
14 | 100 | 94 | 30 | 22 | 173 | 58 | 42 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 68 | 2 | 142 | 68 | 56 | 54 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 17 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SSW 12 | SSE 11 | NE 4 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | S 14 | NNW 3 | SSE 18 | E 9 | E 11 | NE 9 | E 10 | SSE 16 | NE 4 |
101 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 117 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | — | — | — | — | E 15 | NNW 3 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 12 | — | ENE 8 | E 11 | ENE 9 | — | S 17 | NE 9 | SE 16 |
13 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 6 | — | 6 | 3 | 8 | — | 5 | 3 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | N 4 | SSW 16 | SW 3 | NW 2 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | — | NE 3 | — |
25 | 14 | 90 | 153 | 264 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 83 | 5 | 1 | 113 | 4011 | — | 8 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 45 | 237 | 54 | 40 | 43 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











