Snow-ForecastSnow-ForecastMountain-ForecastMountain-ForecastTide-ForecastTide-ForecastWeather-ForecastWeather-Forecast
Search by country, region, or break
Search by country, region, or break

Quick Links

Surf Forecasts:

Scarborough surf break

Scarborough surfForecast / Canterbury / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 6 pm Saturday 17 Jan 2026 NZDT
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
18.6° C
 (Which is 3.9°C warmer than normal for this time of year)

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 (Jan 18) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Scarborough in the next 12 days are 2.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jan 23) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 10s period and expected on Saturday (Jan 24) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Sun 18th Jan)2.5ft (0.7m) 9s
Best Surf 4PM (Fri 23rd Jan)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Most Powerful 4PM (Fri 23rd Jan)8ft (2.5m) 12s

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

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Heavy rain (total 47mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Thu morning, calm by Thu night).

Sat
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
4
1
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.8
SE
0.7
SE
0.7
SE
0.7
ESE
0.5
ESE
0.4
NE
0.4
NE
0.4
ESE
0.3
ENE
0.4
ENE
0.6
ENE
0.9
ENE
1.3
ENE
1.6
ENE
1.8
ENE
2.1
ENE
1.8
ENE
1.8
ENE
2.5
ENE
1.2
E
1
E
Period(s) (?)899888878884688101212121110
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)9575755833211615142345351152774798179169161784338221
Wind
(km/h)
15
S
10
SSW
5
S
10
ENE
10
ENE
10
NE
15
ENE
5
NE
5
NE
15
ENE
15
ENE
25
NE
30
ENE
25
ENE
40
ENE
20
NE
5
W
20
ESE
15
SSW
35
SW
30
SW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off		offglasscross-
on		ononononglasscross-
on		onononcross-
on		ononglasscrossoffoffoff
High Tide
/ height (m)
4:38PM
2.09
5:02AM
2.22
5:21PM
2.09
5:44AM
2.22
6:03PM
2.09
6:25AM
2.23
6:46PM
2.08
7:06AM
2.23
7:32PM
2.09
7:49AM
2.24
8:19PM
2.10
8:35AM
2.23
9:07PM
2.14
9:26AM
2.23
Low Tide
/ height (m)
10:41PM
0.69
11:15AM
0.72
11:27PM
0.63
11:59AM
0.65
12:12AM
0.56
12:44PM
0.59
12:54AM
0.51
1:27PM
0.53
1:36AM
0.47
2:10PM
0.49
2:19AM
0.45
2:53PM
0.48
3:05AM
0.46
Sat
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Sunrise--6:09--6:09--6:11--6:11--6:13--6:15--6:16
Sunset9:07--9:07--9:07--9:06--9:06--9:05--9:04--
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
clear
light rain
heavy rain
mod rain
rain showers
Rain (mm)
-------------14293-11481
Temp. °C151314141314151315141416161617181817131211
Feels °C (?)1110121111121210131110111113111618141154
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Latest Updates

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves
Ben Mondy

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves

Huntington, Dribbleton, Virginia, Holland and the Superbank! We recently had a look at the world’s most consistent waves. This was based on the combination of swells and wind directed at 7,000 surf spots, as compiled from our data since 2006. Those stats, represented in easy-to-read graphics, are located under each wave’s spot guides, with historical swell and wind breakdowns available by month, season, and year. There is also an offshore filter, which shows how often the swells come with clean

Read more

Read more

Discover more articles and updates in the Greenroom.

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Scarborough:

join our community of surf reporters

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 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.

View detailed surf forecast for Scarborough at:
surf-forecast.com

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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest