New Brighton Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.47° S 172.72° E

New Brighton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 20 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's New Brighton Beach sea temperature is
9.7° C
0.5° 

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 20 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 14s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, NE swell with 256 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 14s 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. 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 1.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Mon 24th Aug)1ft (0.3m) 14s
Best Surf12AM (Mon 24th Aug)1ft (0.3m) 14s
Most Powerful 3AM (Fri 28th Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 8s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at New Brighton Beach.

Alright, fair warning: we’re looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary surf here. The whole 16-day window is a tough one. There’s no proper swell to get excited about, and most days are a write-off.

Let’s start from the beginning. Friday the 21st of August through to Friday the 4th of September is basically one big gap of no good waves. You’ll see tiny dribbles of swell, mostly around 0.7ft to 1ft from the SSE or E, but with poor conditions and flat energy levels (between 16 and 68). The wind is onshore or cross-shore most of that time, so it’s messy. A couple of mornings – like Monday the 24th and Wednesday the 26th – go glassy with the odd 1ft bump, but it’s just too small to paddle for. Even the 3ft on Saturday the 29th had a short 5-second period and only weak energy (70), so nothing really happens.

There is one little stand out, though it’s not much. On Monday the 31st of August the morning shows 2ft of swell from the SE with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy hits 300 (moderate), which is the biggest pulse of the period. The wind is glassy with a light onshore breeze, so the surface will be clean. This is a beginner break and inconsistent at the best of times, and 2ft is small but might just produce a few rideable ones for those who are keen. The swell direction is from the SE – the guidance says optimum is ENE, so it’s not ideal, but with that period you might get a little shape. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

The first few days of September are similar: tiny swell, mostly around 1ft from the SE or NE, with glassy mornings on Tuesday the 1st and Thursday the 3rd that look clean but the energy is weak (128 and 57). Honestly, if you’re desperate, those glassy windows give you the best chance at a knee-high wave.

Overall, this is a lean run. When a place like New Brighton is this inconsistent, a blank stretch like this is pretty normal. Keep an eye on the forecast – it won’t stay flat forever.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 6°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Fri night, near gales from the NW by Sat night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, strong winds from the NW by Tue night).

Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
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
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
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
16
0.2
SSE
14
0.2
SSE
12
0.2
SSE
11
0.2
SSE
11
0.9
N
4
1
NNE
5
0.5
NE
9
0.2
E
14
0.3
SSE
14
0.3
SSE
13
0.3
SSE
13
0.2
E
14
0.2
E
14
0.2
E
14
0.2
E
14
0.2
E
14
0.2
E
14
0.2
SSE
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
26
18
15
12
11
23
52
38
15
39
35
33
16
15
15
16
16
15
24
Wind (km/h)
10
NNE
10
NE
20
ENE
10
WNW
15
NNW
35
NNW
35
NNW
50
NW
45
WNW
10
W
5
NW
5
SE
5
W
10
WSW
30
WNW
35
NNW
5
WSW
10
ENE
25
ENE
Wind State
cross-on
on
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
off
glassy
glassy
glassy
off
cross-off
cross
glassy
on
on
High Tide
11:08PM1.69m
11:40AM1.76m
00:01AM1.66m
12:31PM1.76m
00:50AM1.65m
1:18PM1.77m
1:36AM1.66m
2:03PM1.79m
2:20AM1.68m
2:45PM1.82m
3:01AM1.70m
3:26PM1.84m
Low Tide
5:13AM0.40m
5:45PM0.47m
6:01AM0.43m
6:34PM0.49m
6:48AM0.44m
7:21PM0.48m
7:34AM0.42m
8:07PM0.46m
8:18AM0.39m
8:51PM0.43m
9:02AM0.35m
9:34PM0.38m
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:15
7:13
7:11
7:09
7:07
7:07
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:50
5:51
5:52
5:52
5:53
5:54
 mm
1
1
2
Temp °C
8
7
8
9
14
13
14
13
12
9
8
12
10
16
16
14
9
8
8
Feels °C
5
3
4
7
9
4
7
3
1
3
5
10
7
12
9
3
8
5
4
  • 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