New Brighton Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.47° S 172.72° E

New Brighton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 24 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's New Brighton Beach sea temperature is
10.0°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 24 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 0.5ft (0.2m), 18s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, SSE swell with 422 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 0.5ft (0.2m), 18s 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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.2m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at New Brighton Beach in the next 16 days are 1.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 9PM. 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 13s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Tue 25th Aug)0.5ft (0.2m) 18s
Best Surf 9PM (Tue 25th Aug)0.5ft (0.2m) 18s
Most Powerful 9PM (Mon 31st Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 15s

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


The Lowdown

Right then, mate. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for New Brighton Beach.

To be straight with you, it’s a pretty quiet stretch overall. We’ve got a long run of days where the surf just isn’t going to be worth paddling out for any kind of fun. There are no standouts in the first week at all; the waves are either tiny or blown out, and the energy is weak. Honestly, for the first eight or nine days, you’re looking at mostly flat or messy conditions, with the best being a few "ordinary" sessions with small, weak surf.

The first real glimmer comes on Saturday the 29th of August in the afternoon. It’s a glassy window with the wind going southwest at just 3 mph. The swell is tiny at 1 ft from the southeast, with a period of 13 seconds, so there’s a bit of push from a groundswell, but the overall energy is still low (85). It’s surfable, but you won’t be writing home about it. The water temp here is about average for the time of year at 50°, so nothing weird going on.

Then we get a few more of those "ordinary" mornings and afternoons around the 1st of September, with similar small, clean conditions. The best of that little run looks like Tuesday morning the 1st of September: a light 6 mph cross-offshore wind from the west-northwest, with 2 ft swell from the southeast at a 10-second period (energy 90). Still small, but clean enough to get a few little ones on a log.

The standout moment in the whole 16-day window happens on Friday the 4th of September in the afternoon. That’s when a pulse of swell hits—5 ft from the southeast with a 10-second period, and the combined energy jumps right up to 503, which is moderate-to-strong. The catch is the wind: it’s blowing directly onshore from the east at 9 mph, which will chop it up and make it pretty messy. That kind of size (5 ft) is still okay for most, but the onshore wind kills the quality. It’s the biggest surf on offer, but not the cleanest.

After that, conditions improve a little, but the swell drops fast. The 6th of September (Sunday) gives us a morning with light offshore winds from the west-southwest at 3 mph and 2 ft swell from the east (8-second period, energy 96). That’s clean, small, and better shape than the bigger stuff, but still very modest.

Overall, this is a quiet period for New Brighton Beach. There are no true primo days with clean, decent-sized swell and good wind. The best advice I can give is to keep an eye on the 4th of September afternoon if you’re desperate for some size, or hit the 1st and 6th of September mornings for clean, tiny waves on a longboard. Anything further out—like the 8th of September—shows more small, onshore mess with poor energy.

Stay patient, mate. It’s not always this quiet.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 7°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 7°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Thu afternoon, calm by Sat afternoon).

Mon
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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)
0.2
SSE
14
0.3
ESE
14
0.9
N
4
0.2
E
14
0.2
SSE
17
0.2
E
13
0.2
SSE
17
0.4
SSE
18
0.4
SSE
17
1.3
ENE
6
1.3
ENE
7
1
ENE
8
0.9
ENE
8
0.5
ENE
7
0.4
ENE
7
0.4
SE
13
0.2
ESE
12
0.4
NE
7
0.2
ENE
7
0.2
SSE
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
18
40
24
15
30
14
28
102
116
127
142
116
120
30
17
42
14
14
5
27
Wind (km/h)
10
NNW
15
NNW
25
NW
30
NW
5
E
15
ESE
5
SE
5
WSW
30
E
40
NE
35
NNE
20
NE
30
NW
5
E
10
ENE
5
SSW
15
SW
5
NW
5
WSW
5
NE
Wind State
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross
off
on
on
cross-on
on
cross-off
cross-on
on
glassy
off
glassy
off
glassy
High Tide
2:20AM1.68m
2:45PM1.82m
3:01AM1.70m
3:26PM1.84m
3:42AM1.72m
4:06PM1.86m
4:22AM1.75m
4:46PM1.87m
5:03AM1.77m
5:26PM1.87m
5:45AM1.79m
6:08PM1.86m
Low Tide
8:07PM0.46m
8:18AM0.39m
8:51PM0.43m
9:02AM0.35m
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
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
heavy rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:07
7:07
7:05
7:03
7:01
7:00
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:52
5:53
5:54
5:55
5:57
5:58
6:00
 mm
11
3
1
2
Temp °C
16
14
17
16
13
11
12
8
8
10
15
14
16
10
11
14
8
12
16
10
Feels °C
13
9
10
10
11
8
10
5
1
3
7
10
9
8
9
12
3
9
14
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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