Surf Forecasts:
Ruby Bay surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s period, N swell with 236 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Ruby Bay this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Ruby Bay in the next 16 days are 1.6m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Ruby Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what Ruby Bay has been sending our way.
Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – Ruby Bay is a point break that’s sheltered from the swell and rarely breaks. And this 16-day stretch? It’s a long, flat, quiet run. We’ve got no worthwhile surf on offer for the entire period. The first couple of days are completely dead, and that pattern just keeps going. You’ll be waiting a long time, because this is a real blank run.
Through Thursday the 3rd, a little 4ft NW groundswell rolls in with a weak 6-second period and combined wave energy is only 71 (weak energy). It’s glassy and clean in the morning, and the water temp is about average for this time of year, but the swell is tiny and the break is inconsistent. Definitely not worth paddling out for. By Thursday afternoon, it drops to 3ft NW, energy down to 42 (weak energy). Still clean, still tiny.
After that, from Friday the 4th through to the end of the forecast on Friday the 18th, there is zero rideable swell. We’re talking days of nothing – cross-off winds, clean conditions, but no waves. A few brief moments of 0.3ft or 1ft pulses pop up, like on Saturday the 5th and Tuesday the 8th, but the combined energy barely registers (1 to 12). It’s all poor surf. Even the glassy, offshore mornings on the 11th, 12th, and 13th are completely flat. It’s heartbreaking.
On Monday the 14th, Tuesday the 15th, and Wednesday the 16th there’s the faintest whisper of swell – 0.3ft to 2ft – but energy is still pitiful (1 to 17). A 14-second period on the 15th is tantalising, but there’s no height behind it.
Honestly, this is not a surf window. It’s a kite-surfing week, maybe, with strong offshore winds and clean flat water, but for paddle surfing? There’s nothing. Ruby Bay very rarely breaks anyway, so this long stretch of nothing is not a surprise.
Stay patient. The forecasts can always change, but for now, give it a miss.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 15 | N 7 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | N 6 | N 7 | N 9 | N 9 | NE 4 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15 | 67 | 42 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 36 | 128 | 152 | 134 | 134 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | off | off |
High Tide | 1:27AM3.87m | 1:50PM3.74m | 2:15AM3.64m | 2:34PM3.52m | 3:13AM3.42m | 3:37PM3.28m | 4:28AM3.25m | 5:21PM3.15m | 5:57AM3.23m | 7:12PM3.34m | 7:19AM3.38m | 8:17PM3.67m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:14AM0.95m | 7:38PM1.09m | 8:03AM1.17m | 8:39PM1.34m | 9:04AM1.39m | 10:10PM1.53m | 10:24AM1.54m | 11:47PM1.50m | 12:02PM1.52m | 1:06AM1.29m | 1:28PM1.32m | 2:06AM1.00m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | |  |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 8 |
Feels °C | 11 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 16 | NNW 5 | — | N 6 | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NW 17 | — | N 7 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 |
| kJ | 9 | 13 | — | 40 | — | 252 | 92 | 43 | 31 | 20 | 73 | — | 152 | 134 | 134 | 60 | 43 | 16 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 15 | — | NW 15 | — | NW 16 | NW 15 | NW 15 | NW 15 | NW 16 | — | — | — | NW 16 | NW 15 | NW 14 | NNW 12 | N 8 | N 8 |
| kJ | — | 4 | — | 9 | — | 10 | 9 | 57 | 57 | 64 | — | — | — | 9 | 9 | 48 | 15 | 12 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 12 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | — | — | — | NW 6 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | N 6 | NNW 16 | — | — | NE 4 | W 2 | — | — |
| kJ | 15 | 67 | 42 | 93 | 534 | — | — | — | 135 | 75 | 36 | 128 | 25 | — | — | 12 | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 83 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 129 | 285 | 272 | 14 | 116 | 14 | 129 | 129 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 30 | 14 | 83 | 83 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - Tasman Bay | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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 Ruby 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 Ruby Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Ruby Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Ruby Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Ruby 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 (Ruby 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 Ruby 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Nelson - Tasman Bay? If you are looking for accommodation near Ruby Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nelson - Tasman Bay, consider staying in Nelson which is 17 km (11 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Blenheim which is 80 km (50 miles) away
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