Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, ENE swell with 356 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 17s is also forecast. 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 1.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 9AM. 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 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let me tell you how it's lookin' from here. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim stretch on the whole. The next sixteen days are a real mixed bag of tiny dribblers and messy wind, with hardly anything worth getting wet for. There’s a big ol’ gap of nothing good at the start, and the whole run is just a long, quiet spell. You’ll be checking the forecast more than your board for a while.
The first sniff of anything is on Wednesday the 26th of August. New Brighton Beach is the only game in town, and it’s barely a game. Wednesday afternoon gives us a tiny bit of 0.7ft swell from the SSE, but it’s got a super long 17-second period. That means it’ll be clean with a light offshore wind, but it’s weak as anything (combined energy of 54). The water is about average for the time of year at 50°. Honestly, it’s more of a chance to sit on your board and have a yarn than to actually catch a wave.
Thursday morning the 27th is a write-off with a strong onshore wind, and that blows right through the rest of the week. Friday the 28th kicks up a bit of short-period 6ft ENE swell, but again, the wind is messy and the quality is poor. Saturday the 29th morning goes glassy but the swell drops right back to 1ft from the ENE (combined energy of 56). It’s surfable, but very ordinary.
The only real stand-out, and I mean the *only* one on offer, is around Monday the 31st of August. You get a glassy morning with a 2ft SSE swell and a much more friendly 14-second period. The combined energy is a moderate 106, and the afternoon cleans up nicely with a gentle offshore WSW breeze. It’s still small, but it’ll be the cleanest, most rideable surf in the whole 16-day window. After that, it’s back to mostly poor conditions with small, wind-affected junk all the way through to the end of the first week of September. A bit of clean surf pops up on the 3rd, but it’s tiny.
Into the second week, it’s more of the same. The 6th of September has a small 4ft NE swell, but it’s got a terrible 4-second period and is weak. A couple of mornings with clean offshore wind, but the swell is just not there. Nothing beyond a little ripple. It’s a real flat spell, and for a spot like New Brighton that is inconsistent at the best of times, this blank run is pretty normal. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 7°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the ENE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 5°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SW on Sun night, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 14 | SSE 17 | SSE 6 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 12 | N 3 | N 4 | NE 8 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 29 | 104 | 99 | 93 | 202 | 356 | 202 | 96 | 25 | 24 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 104 | 60 | 257 | 157 | 101 | 100 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | off | glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 6:30AM1.81m | 6:52PM1.84m | 7:17AM1.83m | 7:40PM1.82m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 12:49PM0.26m | 1:15AM0.26m | 1:39PM0.27m | 2:04AM0.26m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — |
mm | — | — | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 7 | -2 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | NNE 4 | ESE 6 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NW 4 | NE 8 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 |
| kJ | 14 | 11 | 24 | 99 | 93 | 30 | 14 | 202 | 96 | 25 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 104 | 60 | 257 | 157 | 101 | 56 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | — | SSE 11 | NNW 3 | ESE 13 | SSE 10 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | N 4 | — | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | SE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 |
| kJ | 23 | 29 | 101 | 15 | 13 | 13 | — | 13 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 25 | 100 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 13 | E 13 | — | — | — | — | E 15 | SE 14 | SSE 10 | ESE 13 | SE 10 | S 9 | NE 7 | — | — | SE 12 | — | E 9 | — | NE 4 |
| kJ | 2 | 14 | 13 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 29 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 5 | — | 2 | — | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | NNW 3 | SSE 6 | E 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | NNW 4 | — | NNW 4 | — | NNW 2 | N 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 13 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | SW 3 | — | NE 2 | N 4 |
| kJ | 10 | 4 | 104 | 13 | 83 | 202 | 356 | 11 | — | 4 | — | 1 | 11 | 6 | 307 | 5 | 8 | 3 | — | 1 | 10 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 20 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 233 | 54 | 33 | 124 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 43 | 135 | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 20 | 49 |
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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