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Punakaiki Surf Forecast
/ West Coast South Island (17 surf breaks) /
Punakaiki surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand
12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Wednesday 16 Jul 2025 NZST
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Punakaiki this week:
The surf forecast for Punakaiki over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 16) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Punakaiki in the next 12 days are 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 16) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Wed 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Thu 17th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 16th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Punakaiki over the next 12 days.
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | Friday 25 | Saturday 26 | Sunday 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Rating (10 max) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wave Height (m) & direction (?) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period(s) (?) | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 19 |
Wave (?)Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Energy (?) | 3377 | 2345 | 1317 | 660 | 516 | 511 | 1316 | 2105 | 1878 | 1642 | 1414 | 2541 | 1834 | 1350 | 1290 | 2125 | 2528 | 2280 | 2004 | 2789 | 2437 | 1354 | 1033 | 600 | 498 | 513 | 604 | 432 | 284 | 284 | 223 | 252 | 338 | 381 | 433 | 2187 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | on | on | cross | cross | cross- on | cross- on | glass | glass | glass | cross- on | cross- on | off | off | cross- on | cross | glass | cross- on | cross- off | glass | cross- on | cross- off | cross | cross- on | cross- off | glass | glass | cross- off | cross- off | cross- on | cross- off | cross- off | cross- on | off | off | cross- off | cross- off |
High Tide / height (m) | 2:34PM 2.56 | 2:54AM 2.64 | 3:25PM 2.50 | 3:48AM 2.56 | 4:22PM 2.44 | 4:50AM 2.47 | 5:26PM 2.41 | 5:59AM 2.43 | 6:34PM 2.42 | 7:11AM 2.44 | 7:42PM 2.49 | 8:18AM 2.50 | 8:45PM 2.60 | 9:19AM 2.59 | 9:41PM 2.71 | 10:12AM 2.67 | 10:31PM 2.81 | 11:00AM 2.73 | 11:18PM 2.86 | 11:44AM 2.74 | 12:01AM 2.87 | 12:26PM 2.71 | 12:42AM 2.81 | |||||||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 8:42PM 0.36 | 9:13AM 0.30 | 9:35PM 0.42 | 10:08AM 0.39 | 10:34PM 0.49 | 11:09AM 0.48 | 11:40PM 0.53 | 12:16PM 0.53 | 12:51AM 0.51 | 1:24PM 0.53 | 1:59AM 0.44 | 2:29PM 0.47 | 3:02AM 0.33 | 3:27PM 0.38 | 3:58AM 0.22 | 4:19PM 0.28 | 4:48AM 0.14 | 5:06PM 0.22 | 5:34AM 0.10 | 5:50PM 0.19 | 6:17AM 0.11 | 6:32PM 0.21 | ||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | Friday 25 | Saturday 26 | Sunday 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | 7:58 | - | - | 7:58 | - | - | 7:56 | - | - | 7:56 | - | - | 7:54 | - | - | 7:54 | - | - | 7:54 | - | - | 7:52 | - | - | 7:52 | - | - | 7:50 | - | - | 7:50 | - | - | 7:50 | - | - |
| Sunset | - | 5:22 | - | - | 5:22 | - | - | 5:23 | - | - | 5:24 | - | - | 5:25 | - | - | 5:27 | - | - | 5:28 | - | - | 5:29 | - | - | 5:30 | - | - | 5:30 | - | - | 5:30 | - | - | 5:31 | - |
 |  |  |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
Rain (mm) | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| Temp. °C | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
| Feels °C (?) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
Short Range Forecast: Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed morning, min 7°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Sat afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 6-9 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed morning, min 8°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Long Range Forecast: Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Recent Eyeball Surf Reports for West Coast South Island
Wind reports 46 km away suggest it is still onshore at Punakaiki (fresh winds from the WSW at WestportAeroAws). A 3.6m groundswell from the W are too big for here
46 km away, 54 min ago
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 12 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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