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Surf Forecasts:
Paturau River surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Wednesday 20 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Paturau River surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Paturau River sea temperature is
15.5° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paturau River this week:
The surf forecast for Paturau River over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 20) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 20s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Paturau River in the next 16 days are 1.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) 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 1.2m 5s period and expected on Sunday (May 24) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Wed 20th May) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Tue 26th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 24th May) | 6ft (1.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Paturau River over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu night, min 11°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 7 | N 8 | NNW 8 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | N 7 | N 9 | |
232 | 181 | 131 | 285 | 504 | 375 | 467 | 418 | 583 | 412 | 669 | 389 | 919 | 1922 | 1341 | 778 | 475 | 265 | 158 | 355 | 1657 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | |
High Tide | 12:16PM2.79m | 00:37AM2.79m | 1:17PM2.64m | 1:39AM2.66m | 2:19PM2.50m | 2:43AM2.53m | 3:21PM2.38m | 3:49AM2.44m | 4:24PM2.31m | 4:54AM2.40m | 5:24PM2.30m | 5:52AM2.41m | 6:20PM2.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:24PM0.13m | 6:57AM0.10m | 7:24PM0.29m | 8:01AM0.25m | 8:26PM0.42m | 9:06AM0.37m | 9:31PM0.52m | 10:10AM0.46m | 10:36PM0.56m | 11:11AM0.50m | 11:36PM0.56m | 12:06PM0.50m | 00:31AM0.52m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | |  |  |  | |
 | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — |
 | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:14 | — |
— | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | 13 | 86 | |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | NNW 8 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | N 9 |
 kJ | 232 | 181 | 131 | 56 | 28 | 375 | 467 | 418 | 583 | 412 | 669 | 389 | 919 | 1922 | 1341 | 778 | 475 | 265 | 127 | 56 | 1657 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 20 | W 20 | W 19 | W 19 | WNW 14 | W 13 | N 7 | NW 10 | NNW 9 | WSW 15 | NNW 8 | N 11 | WSW 12 | NNW 11 | N 10 | ENE 4 | N 6 | N 6 | N 13 | W 16 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 | 40 | 350 | 107 | 181 | 135 | 222 | 28 | 86 | 365 | 40 | 54 | 7 | 20 | 45 | 3 | 5 | 27 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WNW 16 | W 18 | NW 11 | NW 10 | N 6 | N 7 | NNW 8 | N 7 | W 22 | NNW 10 | — | — | N 9 | ENE 4 | NNW 8 | — | N 13 | WSW 17 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 24 | 25 | 121 | 170 | 37 | 4 | 46 | 14 | 82 | 35 | — | — | 25 | 2 | 19 | — | 3 | 30 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 5 | NNW 7 | N 8 | — | — | ESE 4 | — | WSW 4 | — | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | — | — | — | N 6 | N 7 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 50 | 285 | 504 | — | — | 12 | — | 16 | — | 50 | 55 | 50 | 20 | — | — | — | 158 | 355 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 93 | 93 | 84 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 84 | 93 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - West Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Paturau River 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 Paturau River Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Paturau River provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Paturau River can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Paturau River 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 (Paturau River) 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 Paturau River 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 Nelson - West Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Paturau River, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nelson - West Coast, consider staying in Nelson which is 99 km (61 miles) away.
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