Surf Forecasts:
Papatowai surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 23ft (7.0m), 14s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 25ft (7.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 23,978 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Papatowai this week:
The surf forecast for Papatowai over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Papatowai in the next 16 days are 7.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 23ft (7.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 25ft (7.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Papatowai over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Wed morning, strong winds from the W by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 11°C on Fri afternoon, min 3°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Thu night, calm by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Mon 20 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 216 | 486 | 1384 | 2758 | 3386 | 2580 | 1500 | 6680 | 20120 | 13881 | 6792 | 5454 | 3137 | 15555 | 12306 | 7615 | 5004 | 5413 | 4215 | 2457 | 1622 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 1:42AM2.01m | 2:17PM2.18m | 2:36AM2.07m | 3:09PM2.20m | 3:28AM2.09m | 4:01PM2.17m | 4:20AM2.07m | 4:52PM2.10m | 5:13AM2.01m | 5:43PM2.00m | 6:06AM1.91m | 6:35PM1.89m | 7:01AM1.81m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:54AM-0.01m | 8:29PM0.09m | 8:49AM-0.06m | 9:22PM0.06m | 9:43AM-0.07m | 10:15PM0.07m | 10:37AM-0.03m | 11:08PM0.10m | 11:31AM0.05m | 00:01AM0.16m | 12:25PM0.16m | 00:54AM0.24m | 1:20PM0.28m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | |  | | |
 | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:18 | — | — | 8:18 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:17 | — |
 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 |
mm | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 4 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | -1 | -2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | E 14 | E 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | SW 14 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 74 | 486 | 1384 | 2758 | 3386 | 2580 | 1500 | 101 | 131 | 201 | 441 | 590 | 3137 | 763 | 577 | 7615 | 5004 | 5413 | 4215 | 2457 | 1622 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | ENE 8 | SSW 19 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ESE 12 | NE 8 | — | — | — | — | ESE 16 | — | — | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 106 | 82 | 71 | 1828 | 39 | 21 | 50 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 806 | — | — | 447 | 342 | 265 | 190 | 164 | 158 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 20 | WSW 8 | SSW 21 | ENE 7 | E 13 | E 12 | NE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 21 | — | — | — | — | SE 7 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 216 | 6 | 359 | 35 | 31 | 47 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | 1230 | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 3 | NE 7 | NW 3 | WSW 6 | — | NNW 3 | NW 4 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | WNW 6 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 5 | 118 | 11 | 303 | — | 3 | 40 | 6680 | 20120 | 13881 | 6792 | 5454 | 138 | 15555 | 12306 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 130 | 180 | 171 | 129 | 78 | 11 | 129 | 29 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Catlins | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Papatowai 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 Papatowai Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Papatowai provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Papatowai can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Papatowai 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 (Papatowai) 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 Papatowai 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.
Papatowai is 88 km (55 miles) from the city of Invercargill. If you plan a holiday in Catlins, look for hotels and other accommodation in Invercargill. Invercargill has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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