Surf Forecasts:
New Brighton Beach surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s period, SSE swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 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 Friday (Aug 28) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. 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 0.9m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 13s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for New Brighton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get straight into it for New Brighton Beach. I'm looking at the extended outlook, and to be honest, it’s a pretty grim stretch for paddle surfing. The whole 16-day window is a real struggle, with hardly any quality surf on offer. There are a couple of flickers of life, but they come with major caveats.
The water temperature is sitting around 49.8°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 28th is a no-go: 4.6ft swell but it's wind-blown and messy with a strong cross-onshore breeze. The combined swell energy is moderate at 277, but with that wind, it’s a total mess. Saturday and Sunday the 29th and 30th are dead flat, with tiny waves and not enough energy to bother.
There's a slight glimmer on Tuesday, 1st of September. The afternoon sees a 2.9ft swell from the SSE, with a period of 13 seconds. That's a clean-looking combo, with fresh offshore winds from the SSW cleaning things up. The combined energy is moderate at 275. It's surfable, but it's just ordinary. Not a standout.
The only real spike of interest comes on the morning of Monday, 7th of September. We see a 2.9ft pulse from the ENE, with a 7-second period, under offshore winds from the West. The combined energy is a very light 81. It's small and weak, but it's the best on offer for a clean surf. Then, on the morning of Tuesday, 8th of September, the swell jumps to 5.2ft from the NNE with an 8-second period. The combined energy is a solid 388, and the wind is a cross-off from the NW. This is the standout of the whole outlook. But here's the thing: at 5.2ft, it's pushing into the more expert territory, especially for a beach break. The period is short, so it'll be a bit crumbly and sectiony. For a stronger surfer, this morning is the only time to paddle out. The rest of the week after that fades back to tiny, weak conditions.
Overall, it's a bleak outlook. The setup would be far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing when that stronger wind hits.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 4°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the WNW by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Mon night, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 13 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | E 10 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
254 | 169 | 62 | 26 | 44 | 29 | 11 | 6 | 61 | 59 | 146 | 113 | 2 | 273 | 110 | 59 | 60 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 42 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | on | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 8:07AM1.84m | 8:31PM1.80m | 9:02AM1.87m | 9:27PM1.78m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 2:32PM0.28m | 2:55AM0.25m | 3:27PM0.29m | ||||||||
7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | |
— | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 3 | -1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 10 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | NW 4 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | N 4 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 13 |
23 | 169 | 62 | 26 | 10 | 29 | 11 | 7 | 61 | 59 | 146 | 113 | 2 | 2 | 110 | 59 | 60 | 7 | 28 | 27 | 42 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 11 | SSE 11 | N 3 | S 10 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 7 | SSE 18 | SSE 16 | E 10 | NW 4 | — | — | — | NE 4 | SE 14 | SE 11 | ESE 4 | E 4 | SSE 10 |
— | 20 | 12 | 2 | 96 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 26 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | SE 10 | S 15 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | E 7 | — | E 10 | — | — | — | SE 14 | E 10 | SSE 13 | NE 4 | S 15 | ENE 3 |
— | 4 | 19 | 17 | 44 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 33 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | NNW 3 | — | NNW 4 | ENE 8 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | WSW 3 | SW 3 | W 3 | NNW 3 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSE 13 | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | — | SE 4 | — | — |
254 | 7 | — | 13 | 37 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 2605 | 670 | 273 | — | 2 | 13 | — | 10 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 40 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 4 | 43 | 154 | 5 | 9 | 124 | 576 | 169 | 436 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 4 |
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.











