Surf Forecasts:
Raglan-Manu Bay surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 15s period, WSW swell with 2,516 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s 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 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Raglan-Manu Bay in the next 16 days are 2.4m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Raglan-Manu Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let me tell you straight up – we’ve got some real quality on the table for Raglan-Manu Bay over the next couple of weeks, but you’ll need to pick your moments. The water temp is sitting at about 57°, which is pretty much spot-on average for this time of year, so nothing crazy there.
The first real standout is Thursday morning, the 20th of August. It’s dead glassy with the wind swinging around to the ESE at 0 mph, and we’ve got a clean 5 ft swell rolling in from the WSW at 14 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and on a point break like Manu Bay, it’s gonna groom up nicely – long, lined-up walls. The combined energy is sitting at 1076 (moderate wave energy), so there’s enough push to get you moving without it being a handful. This is the pick of the first week.
After that, the wind gets a bit messy through Friday and Saturday – cross-on breezes and choppy conditions. Sunday the 23rd gets a big pulse of 8 ft from the west, but it’s onshore and sloppy with a short 9-second period, not worth paddling out for. By Monday the 24th, we see energy jump right up to 1790, but the wind is still cross or cross-on, so the quality isn’t there yet.
Now, if you can wait, the absolute standout session in the entire 16-day window lands on Tuesday afternoon, the 1st of September. We’re talking a clean 6 ft swell from the west at 13 seconds, light SSW breezes giving you a cross-off trim, and the combined energy cranks to 2193 – that’s strong wave energy, proper grunt. Conditions rated as excellent for experienced surfers. Manu Bay will be rifling down the point. This one’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it – forecast might shift, but if it holds, it’s the session to circle.
The following morning, Wednesday the 2nd of September, also looks solid – 8 ft from the WNW with clean cross-off winds, though at that size it’s definitely for the experienced crew only. That one’s got 1898 on the energy scale.
Late in the run, Sunday the 30th of August and Monday the 31st see a drop in size to around 2 ft to 3 ft, but with clean offshore ESE winds and a long 18-second period on the Sunday, it’ll be glassy and fun for a longer board – nothing epic, but a nice way to finish the month.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun morning, light winds from the W by Mon night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WNW 7 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1718 | 1364 | 1076 | 822 | 622 | 604 | 754 | 394 | 229 | 145 | 286 | 912 | 732 | 427 | 1375 | 2348 | 2144 | 1797 | 1614 | 1034 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 2:46AM2.39m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:46PM0.79m | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 |
Temp °C | 12 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WNW 5 | WSW 13 | W 16 | W 9 | W 8 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
| kJ | 1718 | 1364 | 1076 | 822 | 622 | 604 | 754 | 394 | 229 | 39 | 135 | 135 | 732 | 400 | 1375 | 2348 | 2144 | 1797 | 1614 | 1034 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 14 | WSW 18 | W 20 | W 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 145 | 64 | 30 | 205 | 427 | 281 | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | 134 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | W 5 | — | WNW 7 | W 9 | — | — | — | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 30 | — | 286 | 912 | — | — | — | 62 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 56 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 179 | 179 | 185 | 185 | 224 | 249 | 228 | 249 | 247 | 195 | 96 | 249 | 56 | 228 | 249 | 228 |
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