Surf Forecasts:
Purakaunui Bay surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with 7,062 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Purakaunui Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Purakaunui Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Purakaunui Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Purakaunui Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Mild temperatures (max 7°C on Wed afternoon, min 4°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Sun afternoon, min 3°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Mon 13 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2784 | 2080 | 1565 | 1204 | 3149 | 4895 | 4574 | 3465 | 5847 | 3691 | 2612 | 2032 | 4483 | 4176 | 3470 | 2117 | 1307 | 1019 | 767 | 416 | 260 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:19AM1.63m | 7:48PM1.66m | 8:13AM1.66m | 8:43PM1.67m | 9:14AM1.71m | 9:44PM1.70m | 10:19AM1.80m | 10:47PM1.76m | 11:23AM1.90m | 11:48PM1.84m | 12:24PM2.02m | 00:47AM1.93m | 1:22PM2.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:24AM0.45m | 1:46PM0.41m | 2:14AM0.43m | 2:41PM0.41m | 3:08AM0.40m | 3:40PM0.39m | 4:05AM0.34m | 4:40PM0.34m | 5:03AM0.26m | 5:39PM0.28m | 6:01AM0.16m | 6:37PM0.21m | 6:58AM0.06m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — |
 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 |
mm | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
Feels °C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 2784 | 2080 | 1565 | 1204 | 3149 | 4895 | 4574 | 1859 | 5847 | 3691 | 2612 | 2032 | 4483 | 4176 | 3470 | 2117 | 1307 | 1019 | 767 | 416 | 116 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | E 8 | SSW 19 | NE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 11 | SSW 19 | ENE 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 9 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 294 | 158 | 161 | 522 | 94 | 227 | 270 | 3465 | 469 | 516 | 496 | 400 | 296 | 234 | 250 | 255 | 208 | 158 | 154 | 60 | 260 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | ENE 8 | SSW 21 | E 7 | E 12 | E 9 | SSW 21 | ENE 11 | — | — | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | SSW 19 |
| kJ | 20 | 26 | 44 | 52 | 103 | 15 | 656 | 350 | — | — | 89 | 1021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 35 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 31 | 54 | 52 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 107 | 119 | 107 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Catlins | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Purakaunui Bay 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 Purakaunui Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Purakaunui Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Purakaunui Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Purakaunui Bay 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 (Purakaunui Bay) 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 Purakaunui Bay 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.
Purakaunui Bay is 99 km (61 miles) from the city of Invercargill. If you plan a holiday in Catlins, look for hotels and other accommodation in Invercargill. Invercargill has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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