Surf Forecasts:
Raglan-Manu Bay surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, WSW swell with 5,341 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 14s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Raglan-Manu Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Raglan-Manu Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Raglan-Manu Bay in the next 16 days are 3.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Raglan-Manu Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's check out what's up at Manu Bay.
First thing's first, Thursday the 20th is looking like a real treat. The water temp is about normal for this time of year, no funny business there. The wind is dead calm, glassy, and we've got a solid 5ft swell from the WSW with a long 14-second period. The combined energy is a solid moderate 1076, and conditions are set to be very good. This is the standout for the whole run, and I'd be paddling out if I were you.
After that Thursday morning high, things get pretty messy. Thursday afternoon turns cloudy with a light WSW cross-breeze, and the swell drops a little. Friday is a write-off with onshore winds, and the weekend is a complete mess. Saturday the 22nd is small and choppy, and Sunday the 23rd is a full-on washing machine with a fresh onshore breeze, a short-period 8ft swell, and a massive energy reading of 1504. That's wild, but it's not for paddling – more like a kite session if you're into that. That messy run continues through Monday and Tuesday, with some cross-shore chop and solid but messy swell.
There's a bit of a lull in conditions, but then we start to see a glimmer of hope at the very end of the run. The standout I mentioned earlier is Thursday morning the 20th, but there's another promising window. Look at Sunday the 30th of August. The morning has a light offshore breeze and a 4ft, 18-second period groundswell from the W. That's a very long period, so it'll be a bit walled up at a beach break, but Manu Bay is a point, so it should handle that beautifully. The afternoon is glassy. Then Monday the 31st of August morning is also looking clean with a 5ft swell.
Further out, the first couple of days of September are looking good again. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd have clean conditions with light offshores or glassy winds, and consistent 3ft to 4ft swells from the WSW. It's a bit of a tease, but keep an eye on it. The forecast is less certain that far out, but the pattern looks promising.
So, to sum it up: Thursday morning, August 20th, is your absolute best bet. If you miss that, keep an eye on the very end of the month and the start of September. The rest of the time is a bit of a mixed bag of onshore slop and wind.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 8°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sun morning, light winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | W 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1076 | 822 | 622 | 604 | 754 | 557 | 229 | 147 | 247 | 1109 | 1892 | 1910 | 4562 | 4909 | 3360 | 2449 | 1955 | 1285 | 1080 | 1156 | 1594 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on |
High Tide | 3:16PM2.32m | 3:46AM2.22m | 4:25PM2.21m | 5:05AM2.13m | 5:56PM2.19m | 6:26AM2.15m | 7:08PM2.28m | 7:31AM2.25m | 8:00PM2.43m | 8:23AM2.39m | 8:43PM2.59m | 9:06AM2.54m | 9:21PM2.75m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:06AM0.76m | 9:40PM0.96m | 10:01AM0.92m | 10:49PM1.07m | 11:19AM1.01m | 00:17AM1.08m | 12:46PM0.98m | 1:29AM0.97m | 1:49PM0.84m | 2:19AM0.80m | 2:37PM0.67m | 2:59AM0.62m | 3:16PM0.49m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 16 | W 17 | W 17 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 14 |
| kJ | 1076 | 822 | 622 | 604 | 754 | 557 | 229 | 147 | 135 | 135 | 146 | 215 | 4562 | 4909 | 3360 | 2449 | 1955 | 1285 | 1080 | 1156 | 1594 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 18 | W 20 | — | WSW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 64 | 30 | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | W 10 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | 96 | 247 | 1109 | 1892 | 1910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 101 | 56 | 140 | 224 | 185 | 228 | 249 | 228 | 249 | 247 | 191 | 140 | 252 | 228 | 249 | 249 | 228 | 228 | 201 | 219 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Raglan and West Waikato | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Raglan-Manu 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 Raglan-Manu Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Raglan-Manu Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Raglan-Manu Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Raglan-Manu 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 (Raglan-Manu 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 Raglan-Manu 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.
Raglan-Manu Bay is 42 km (26 miles) from Hamilton. If you plan a holiday in Raglan and West Waikato, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hamilton. Hamilton has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest