Surf Forecasts:
Scarborough surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 12s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period, SSE swell with 232 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 12s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Scarborough this week:
The surf forecast for Scarborough over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Scarborough in the next 16 days are 0.7m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Scarborough over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here again, this time in feet and Fahrenheit. Lookin’ down the road at Scarborough, and I gotta be straight with ya – it’s mostly a bust for the next couple of weeks. A few tiny windows, but nothing to get amped about.
The best of what we got is Wednesday, 2nd September. Swell is a tiny 2ft out of the SSE, but the period is a juicy 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The wave energy is sitting around 235 to 253, which for a break this exposed means it’ll have some life. Morning winds are light from the WNW, keepin’ it clean. Water temp is 50°F , a touch warmer than normal for the season. It’s not gonna be a memory-maker, but it’s rideable.
Saturday, 6th September offers a bit more size. Morning swell hits 4ft from the ENE with 323 energy – moderate. But the wind is cross-on from the north at 15 mph, makin’ it choppy. The afternoon cleans right up with a fresh offshore from the SSW at 18 mph, but the swell drops back to 2ft. If you’re keen, the late session could be okay.
Then we wait again till Saturday, 12th September. Morning brings 2ft from the SE with a short 8-second period. Energy is a weak 103, but with light west winds going cross-off, it’ll be glassy and clean.
Last call is Sunday, 13th September afternoon. Swell from the SSE at 2ft, but the period is a massive 18 seconds – that’s super long. Energy is 224, so there’s some push, but at a beach break, it’ll be straight and fat. Winds are light WNW cross-off, so it’ll be clean. Small, but clean.
Bottom line – Scarborough’s *inconsistent* on a good day, so this quiet stretch ain’t out of the ordinary. No big swells comin’, but keep your eyes peeled, forecasts can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 5°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 4°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NNW 4 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | NE 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | NNW 4 | N 4 | NE 5 | SE 9 | SE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 25 | 25 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 52 | 34 | 3 | 90 | 91 | 136 | 232 | 226 | 70 | 26 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 22 | 10 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:15PM2.25m | 5:40AM2.16m | 5:58PM2.26m | 6:27AM2.20m | 6:45PM2.26m | 7:16AM2.24m | 7:37PM2.25m | 8:07AM2.29m | 8:33PM2.24m | 8:59AM2.32m | 9:30PM2.23m | 9:53AM2.35m | 10:26PM2.23m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:06AM0.50m | 11:34PM0.51m | 11:48AM0.47m | 00:17AM0.49m | 12:32PM0.47m | 1:01AM0.48m | 1:19PM0.49m | 1:48AM0.50m | 2:11PM0.53m | 2:39AM0.51m | 3:09PM0.56m | 3:36AM0.52m | 4:09PM0.57m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 10 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | NE 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | NE 5 | NE 5 | SE 9 | NE 5 | SE 9 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 25 | 25 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 52 | 34 | 3 | 90 | 91 | 136 | 232 | 226 | 70 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 22 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 12 | — | E 10 | — | NE 9 | SSE 4 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | NNW 3 | NE 8 | SE 16 |
| kJ | 17 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | S 16 | S 16 | — | E 7 | E 11 | — | — | E 10 | — | — | SE 13 | — | NE 8 | E 11 | E 10 | N 3 | SSE 3 | S 15 |
| kJ | 10 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 3 | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NW 3 | SSW 3 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | S 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | — | N 3 | NNW 4 | NNE 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | N 4 | SSW 2 | SW 3 | NNW 3 |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 3 | — | 1 | 19 | 22 | 10 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 31 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 2 | 31 | 185 | 151 | 151 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 31 | 38 | 31 | 133 | 23 | 31 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 16 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.
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