Punakaiki Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(West Coast South Island, New Zealand)

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Photo by: Michelle

Punakaiki Surf Guide

Punakaiki on the West Coast is an exposed beach break that has quite consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Ideal winds are from the east northeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around mid tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.

Punakaiki Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach	3.3
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent	16.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Punakaiki:

The best conditions reported for surf at Punakaiki occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-northeast.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

7 Day Forecast

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

marchBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Punakaiki with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 43% of the time in March while 46% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 11% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

43%

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

blown out

46%

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

too small

11%

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

Explore Punakaiki Location Map

Interactive Punakaiki 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 Punakaiki is Westport Airport (WSZ) in New Zealand, 47 km (29 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Punakaiki is Hokitika Airport (HKK), also in New Zealand, 72 km (45 miles) away.

Break

Live Wave Height (m)

Live 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.

Punakaiki Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

7 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 19 April 2021, 23:26 Local Time

m, °C	Mon	Tuesday 20
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	15	15	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross- off	cross- off	glass

What does Punakaiki look like?

Latest photos from Punakaiki. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Michelle
Credit: Mick Goman
Credit: Rob Davies

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Tides at Punakaiki

Current tide and informaton

For Punakaiki, 37.0 km from Punakaiki.

Next High Water: 03:58am | 2.14m

Next Low Water: 10:19am | 0.83m

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

Punakaiki Sea Temperature

The water temperature (16.5 °C) at Punakaiki is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (16.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 16.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite