Otaki Beach Surf Guide

Otaki Beach in Wanganui-Manawatu is a reasonably exposed beach break that has quite reliable surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the east. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the optimum swell angle is from the west northwest. The beach break provides left and right handers. Best around high tide. Rarely crowded here.

Otaki Beach Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach1fairly consistent
16.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Otaki Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Otaki Beach occur when a West-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

What's the best time of year to surf Otaki Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

augustBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Otaki Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 3% of the time in August while 27% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 70% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
3%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
27%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
70%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Otaki Beach Location Map

Interactive Otaki Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Otaki Beach is Paraparaumu Airport (PPQ) in New Zealand, 29 km (18 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Otaki Beach is Masterton Airport (MRO), also in New Zealand, 52 km (32 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Otaki Beach Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 18:33 Local Time
Wednesday 06Thu
3PM6PM9PM0AM
Wave (m)
0.6
NW
0.9
WNW
0.9
WNW
0.9
NW
Period (s) 4 5 6 6
Wind (km/h)
10
10
5
10
Wind State cross-
on
on cross cross-
off

Swell History at Otaki Beach

Surf stats for Otaki Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Otaki Beach

Wind stats for Otaki Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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