Papatowai Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Catlins, New Zealand)

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Papatowai Surf Guide

Papatowai in Catlins is an exposed beach/river mouth break that has inconsistent surf with no particular seasonal pattern. Offshore winds blow from the west. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the best swell direction is from the south southeast. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Best around high tide. Rarely crowded here. Watch out for sharks/rips.

Papatowai Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach/river	5	inconsistent	13.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Papatowai:

The best conditions reported for surf at Papatowai occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Papatowai with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 50% of the time in June while 25% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 25% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

50%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

25%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

25%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Papatowai Location Map

Interactive Papatowai 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 Papatowai is Dunedin Airport (DUD) in New Zealand, 91 km (57 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Papatowai is Invercargill Airport (IVC), also in New Zealand, 91 km (57 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)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Papatowai Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 19:52 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06			Thu
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

Tides at Papatowai

Current tide and informaton

For Long Point, 8 km from Papatowai.

Next High Water: 06:12am | 1.56m

Next Low Water: 12:17am | 0.57m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Papatowai Sea Temperature

The Papatowai water temperature is rather cool (13.4 °C) and the air temperature will feel about the same. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit and neoprene boots.