
Surf Forecasts:
Raglan-Manu Bay surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, WNW swell with 1,424 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s 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 Wednesday (Aug 05) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 16s. 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 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Raglan-Manu Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let's have a look at what's on the cards.
This is a classic Raglan story, Manu Bay (New Zealand) is the only spot firing up in the finder, and it’s a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. We've got some serious groundswell on the horizon, but the wind is going to be the big boss, making or breaking the sessions.
The water is sitting at 57°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
We kick off on Wednesday the 5th with a solid 6ft WSW groundswell pushing through, carrying a massive 1210 units of energy. The wind is a cross-off S breeze, so it should be clean. The period is a nice 14 seconds, meaning real proper lines. It’s a bit on the bigger side for beginners, but for the advanced crew, this is a good start.
Thursday the 6th drops right off. We’ve got 3ft on the morning with a light ESE breeze keeping it clean, but the energy has dropped to just 242. It's small and weak. Friday is even smaller, barely worth a paddle.
Then things get interesting. Saturday the 8th sees a jump back up, but it's short-period windswell, only 8 seconds, with a nasty NE cross-shore breeze. It’s going to be a messy, choppy mess. Not for surfing.
Sunday the 9th, though... hold onto your board. The swell builds to a powerful 8ft from the WNW, with energy roaring at 1835. This is expert territory, too big and powerful for most. The wind is a strong NNE cross-shore, which will put a nasty cross-chop on it. It’s going to be a beast, but not a clean one.
Monday the 10th sees the size drop back to 3ft, but the period stretches to a very long 16 seconds. The energy is still decent at 718, but with a light cross-shore wind, it’ll be a bit bumpy. A long period groundswell like this can break a bit too straight at the beach breaks, but Manu Bay, being a point, will handle it beautifully.
Now, the standout window. Wednesday the 12th afternoon is the absolute pick of the forecast. The swell builds to a solid 6ft from the W with a massive 16-second period, packing 1451 units of energy. And the wind? Glassy. Absolutely glassy. It’s described as "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers," and for good reason. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The swell direction is a touch off the optimum, but with that size, period, and glass, it’s going to be world-class.
The next few days are a write-off. Thursday the 13th turns to rain and onshore winds, and Friday the 14th is hammered by a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore wind. Choppy and lumpy, forget it.
We get another big pulse on Saturday the 15th – 8ft from the WSW with a huge 17-second period, energy at a massive 5430. But it's raining and the wind is onshore, strong and messy. That’s a kite surfer’s dream, not a surfer’s. Sunday the 16th is the same story: big, powerful, and completely blown out.
The pattern continues into the second week with strong onshore winds and messy conditions right through to Tuesday the 18th.
Finally, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Wednesday the 19th morning looks promising. The swell is a solid 6ft from the WSW with 14-second period and strong energy (1517), but the magic ingredient is a clean, offshore SE breeze. This is flagged as excellent for experienced surfers. A bit of a crowd is possible here, but on a morning like that, you’ll be sharing it with people who know what they’re doing.
So, the takeaway: this week is a washout except for that brief, glorious window on Wednesday the 12th. Next week, hold out for Wednesday the 19th. Everything else is blown out or too small.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 10°C on Wed afternoon, min 4°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 8°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun morning, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 18 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1210 | 796 | 451 | 233 | 167 | 103 | 56 | 63 | 73 | 140 | 131 | 230 | 1420 | 875 | 336 | 350 | 636 | 565 | 421 | 307 | 238 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:24PM2.63m | 2:43AM2.66m | 3:16PM2.53m | 3:41AM2.53m | 4:24PM2.44m | 4:57AM2.44m | 5:57PM2.45m | 6:27AM2.46m | 7:20PM2.60m | 7:44AM2.59m | 8:22PM2.82m | 8:46AM2.76m | 9:14PM3.02m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:42PM0.64m | 9:07AM0.60m | 9:38PM0.77m | 10:04AM0.73m | 10:47PM0.86m | 11:21AM0.81m | 00:15AM0.85m | 12:53PM0.75m | 1:36AM0.69m | 2:05PM0.57m | 2:37AM0.47m | 3:02PM0.35m | |||||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 12 |
Feels °C | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WSW 15 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | WSW 9 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 |
1210 | 796 | 451 | 233 | 167 | 103 | 56 | 63 | 73 | 140 | 131 | 230 | 296 | 875 | 176 | 111 | 636 | 565 | 421 | 307 | 133 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 18 | WSW 16 | W 22 | W 15 | W 19 | WSW 17 | SW 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 17 | W 20 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | NNW 7 | WSW 21 | NW 5 |
— | 55 | 51 | 9 | 17 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 60 | 34 | 31 | 217 | 119 | 387 | 336 | 350 | 66 | 18 | 18 | 141 | 21 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 21 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | — | W 18 | WSW 18 | WSW 12 | — | — | WSW 7 | WSW 13 | NW 10 | NW 8 | W 22 | NNW 6 | W 18 |
— | — | — | — | 34 | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | 25 | 64 | 29 | — | — | 54 | 257 | 59 | 20 | 82 | 7 | 238 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1420 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 56 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 194 | 48 | 0 | 62 | 9 | 247 | 228 | 49 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Raglan and West Waikato | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











