Purakaunui Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Catlins, New Zealand)

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Spot Information

Purakaunui Bay Surf Guide

Purakaunui Bay in Catlins is a reasonably exposed beach break that has reasonably consistent surf The best wind direction is from the northwest. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the optimum swell angle is from the south southeast. The beach break provides left and right handers. Surfable at all stages of the tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Hazards include sharks/rips.

Purakaunui Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	4	fairly consistent	13.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Purakaunui Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Purakaunui Bay occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Purakaunui Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 33% of the time in June while 29% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 38% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

33%

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

blown out

29%

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

too small

38%

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

Explore Purakaunui Bay Location Map

Interactive Purakaunui Bay 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 Purakaunui Bay is Dunedin Airport (DUD) in New Zealand, 82 km (51 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Purakaunui Bay is Invercargill Airport (IVC), also in New Zealand, 101 km (63 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
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.

Purakaunui Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 21:34 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	off	off

What does Purakaunui Bay look like?

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

Credit: Hux Credit: Jono Credit: Jesse

Purakaunui Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (13.4 °C) at Purakaunui Bay is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (13.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.