Scarborough Surf Forecast

/ Canterbury (28 surf breaks) /

New Zealand (466 surf breaks) / Lat Long: (43.57° S 172.78° E)

Surf Forecasts:

Scarborough surfForecast / Canterbury / New Zealand

12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Friday 05 Sep 2025 NZST

Forecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent

Scarborough surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Today's Scarborough sea temperature is 9.8° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Scarborough this week:

The surf forecast for Scarborough over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 07) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Scarborough in the next 12 days are 1.3m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 11) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 14s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 07) at 9PM.

Wave Type	Time (NZST) & Date	Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)	3PM (Sun 7th Sep)	1.5ft (0.5m) 17s
Best Surf	12AM (Thu 11th Sep)	4ft (1.2m) 14s
Most Powerful	3AM (Thu 11th Sep)	4.5ft (1.3m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Scarborough over the next 12 days.

Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent

12 Days Hourly

Print Table

	Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 5°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.									Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 4°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.
	Friday 05			Saturday 06			Sunday 07			Monday 08			Tuesday 09			Wednesday 10			Thursday 11
	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night
Rating (10 max)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	0	0	1
Swell Height Map See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)	NE	NE	E	ESE	ESE	E	ENE	SSE	SSE	SE	SSE	NE	SE	ENE	ENE	NNE	ENE	ENE	E	E	ENE
Period(s) (?)	5	8	13	13	13	12	8	17	14	12	11	6	14	8	7	4	7	14	12	12	11
Wave Graph (?)
Energy (?)	64	92	32	46	22	19	12	172	192	88	62	189	76	66	42	56	60	712	371	353	218
Wind (km/h)	WNW	NW	W	SSW	NNE	NW	WSW	SSW	WSW	N	ENE	NE	N	NE	NNW	NE	W	ESE	ENE	E	SW
Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy	cross- off	cross	cross- off	cross- off	glass	cross	off	off	cross- off	cross- on	on	on	cross- on	glass	glass	on	cross- off	glass	cross- on	cross- on	off
High Tide / height (m)		2:21PM 2.22	2:45AM 2.14		3:07PM 2.28		3:30AM 2.21	3:53PM 2.35		4:16AM 2.28	4:40PM 2.41		5:05AM 2.34	5:30PM 2.44		5:59AM 2.40		6:24PM 2.45	6:56AM 2.45		7:23PM 2.42
Low Tide / height (m)			8:34PM 0.58	8:51AM 0.52		9:20PM 0.49	9:41AM 0.43		10:08PM 0.41	10:30AM 0.34		10:58PM 0.35	11:19AM 0.28		11:49PM 0.32		12:10PM 0.27	12:41AM 0.31		1:04PM 0.31	1:34AM 0.34

	Friday 05			Saturday 06			Sunday 07			Monday 08			Tuesday 09			Wednesday 10			Thursday 11
Sunrise	6:48	-	-	6:48	-	-	6:46	-	-	6:43	-	-	6:41	-	-	6:41	-	-	6:39	-	-
Sunset	-	6:06	-	-	6:07	-	-	6:07	-	-	6:08	-	-	6:09	-	-	6:10	-	-	6:12	-

Rain (mm)	-	-	1	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	1	-
Temp. °C	16	15	9	9	10	10	10	10	8	8	8	7	9	11	9	13	16	8	9	10	9
Feels °C (?)	11	9	6	4	7	3	2	3	4	4	3	1	7	9	7	12	13	5	4	6	6

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Recent Eyeball Surf Reports for Canterbury

Wind Update Cross-off winds at Scarborough are now cross-shore so expect speed-bumps in the surf (near gales from the NW at Taylor's Mistake 2 km from Scarborough). 1.4m 6s windswell from the NNE with a 1.0m 5s windswell, also from the NNE and a 0.3m 8s swell, also from the ENE. 3 swells combining so expect closeout sets.
1 hour 8 minutes ago Scarborough

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1 h 8 min ago

59 km/h

Cross-Shore

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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 Scarborough 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 Scarborough Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Scarborough provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Scarborough can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Scarborough 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 (Scarborough) 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 Scarborough 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 Canterbury? If you are looking for accommodation near Scarborough, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Canterbury, consider staying in Christchurch which is 9 km (6 miles) away.