New Brighton Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.47° S 172.72° E

New Brighton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 05 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's New Brighton Beach sea temperature is
9.8° C
0.6° 

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 5 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, ENE swell with 393 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m 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 1.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3AM (Thu 6th Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 10s
Best Surf12PM (Thu 6th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 14s
Most Powerful 6AM (Wed 12th Aug)6ft (1.9m) 8s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for any kind of proper session. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and often messy surf, with the only real glimmer of hope arriving a week from Tuesday. Don’t get too excited just yet, but here’s the rundown on New Brighton Beach.

The first few days are a real write-off. We're looking at small, weak waves that are barely breaking, with the swell energy pretty paltry, mostly in the double digits. Wednesday the 5th has a clean looking 3ft wave, but it's got a short period and the energy is weak (199). It's surfable, but you’ll be fighting for every ripple. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th don't offer any improvement, just tiny waves and inconsistent conditions. It’s a good time to wax your board or fix a ding, because the ocean isn't offering much.

The weekend and the start of the following week continue the pattern of tiny surf. Saturday the 8th is dead flat with a weak energy of just 44, and the light onshore wind will chop up any hopes of a clean wave. Sunday the 9th brings a bit more size, back up to 3ft, and a clean offshore wind in the morning, but the period is short and the energy is still weak (95). It's a marginal call at best. From Monday the 10th through to Sunday the 16th, it's a long, flat slog. The swell is tiny, energy levels are mostly in the teens and twenties, and the wind is all over the place, mostly onshore or cross-shore. There’s a brief pulse of 4ft on Wednesday the 12th, but the wind is up to 19 mph and it’s lumpy and cross-onshore. That’s not surfing; that’s just a messy ocean.

Now for the one bright spot. On Tuesday the 18th, we finally see something that resembles a proper swell. The wave height jumps to 4ft, the period is a solid 12 seconds, and the energy is up to 423. That’s moderate energy, and the wind is forecast to be light offshore in the morning. This is a genuine chance for some clean, fun waves. The direction is SE which isn't the ideal ENE for the spot, but the quality is there. It’s over a week away, so treat it as promising, but not set in stone. After that, it looks like we drop back down again heading into the 20th.

For a beginner, the small days won’t be a problem size-wise, but the complete lack of push and consistency will make it frustrating. When that 4ft swell arrives on the 18th, it should be fine for all levels. It’s not huge, but it will have some energy behind it. The water temp is sitting at 50°, which is about normal for this time of year, so a good hood and gloves are still a must.

So, don’t rush out there this week. Save your energy. The only true standout is the Tuesday the 18th session. Keep an eye on that forecast, and let’s hope it holds.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Fri afternoon, min 4°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 10°C on Sun afternoon, min 6°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Wed
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
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)
0.9
SE
11
0.8
SE
10
0.5
SE
15
0.8
SE
13
0.7
ESE
11
0.4
ESE
13
0.4
ESE
12
0.4
ESE
11
0.3
SE
10
0.3
SE
10
0.3
SE
10
0.8
NE
8
0.7
NE
7
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.4
SE
12
0.4
SE
12
0.4
SE
11
1
ENE
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
187
122
106
196
107
56
60
49
16
15
15
69
50
14
13
12
38
34
31
80
Wind (km/h)
10
SSW
10
WSW
5
WSW
10
ENE
10
NE
10
NE
5
ENE
5
SW
0
ENE
15
E
10
E
15
WSW
10
SSW
5
SSW
10
SW
10
SSW
0
W
15
ENE
25
ENE
10
ESE
Wind State
cross-off
off
off
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
off
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
glassy
on
on
cross-on
High Tide
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
2:12PM2.10m
2:34AM1.96m
3:08PM2.16m
Low Tide
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
7:49AM0.09m
8:28PM0.15m
8:47AM0.03m
9:25PM0.10m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:35
7:35
7:33
7:31
7:31
7:30
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:31
5:32
5:35
5:36
5:37
5:37
5:38
 mm
1
Temp °C
6
6
5
6
6
6
8
8
8
8
9
9
10
8
10
10
8
8
9
11
Feels °C
3
2
2
2
2
4
5
5
6
4
7
5
7
6
7
6
5
4
4
7
  • 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