Surf Forecasts:
Punakaiki surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, W swell with 5,606 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Punakaiki this week:
The surf forecast for Punakaiki over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Punakaiki in the next 16 days are 3.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 8s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Punakaiki over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 46mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | W 14 | NW 9 | WNW 11 | NW 8 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 558 | 355 | 207 | 101 | 891 | 467 | 682 | 4810 | 4829 | 3915 | 2575 | 1869 | 1513 | 1175 | 1063 | 1081 | 886 | 724 | 2494 | 1892 | 828 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 8:53PM2.69m | 9:26AM2.72m | 9:50PM2.84m | 10:22AM2.82m | 10:43PM2.96m | 11:14AM2.88m | 11:34PM3.03m | 12:03PM2.88m | 00:23AM3.02m | 12:51PM2.84m | 1:10AM2.95m | 1:37PM2.74m | 1:57AM2.82m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:09AM0.22m | 3:36PM0.25m | 4:07AM0.08m | 4:30PM0.14m | 5:01AM-0.03m | 5:21PM0.07m | 5:52AM-0.08m | 6:10PM0.05m | 6:40AM-0.05m | 6:58PM0.08m | 7:28AM0.03m | 7:45PM0.18m | 8:14AM0.17m | ||||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:56 |
 | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | 5:24 |
mm | — | 4 | — | 8 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | W 14 | NW 9 | WNW 11 | W 13 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | 558 | 355 | 207 | 101 | 891 | 467 | 280 | 4810 | 4829 | 3915 | 2575 | 1869 | 1513 | 1175 | 1063 | 1081 | 886 | 724 | 2494 | 1892 | 828 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 13 | NNW 8 | W 18 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 | W 7 | — | — | W 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 86 | 176 | 163 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 121 | 130 | — | — | 192 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 22 | WSW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 18 | — | — | N 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 9 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 585 | — | — | 16 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 3 | N 5 | NNW 7 | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | 70 | 285 | — | — | 682 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 49 | 38 | 0 | 92 | 185 | 10 | 0 | 100 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Punakaiki 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 Punakaiki Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Punakaiki provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Punakaiki can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Punakaiki 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 (Punakaiki) 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 Punakaiki 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.
Punakaiki is 186 km (116 miles) from the city of Nelson. If you plan a holiday in West Coast South Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Nelson. Nelson has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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