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 19 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 10.9° C
(Which is 1.4°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 Saturday (Sep 20) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Scarborough in the next 12 days are 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 26) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 7s period and expected on Friday (Sep 26) at 6AM.

Wave Type	Time (NZST) & Date	Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)	9AM (Sat 20th Sep)	1.5ft (0.4m) 14s
Best Surf	6PM (Sun 21st Sep)	4ft (1.2m) 10s
Most Powerful	12AM (Fri 26th Sep)	5ft (1.6m) 11s

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

Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent

12 Days Hourly

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	Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 5°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sat night, calm by Sun night).									Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.
	Friday 19			Saturday 20			Sunday 21			Monday 22			Tuesday 23			Wednesday 24			Thursday 25
	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	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	2
Swell Height Map See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)	SE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	NE	NE	ENE	ENE	ENE	NE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE
Period(s) (?)	11	10	14	14	14	8	8	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	11	10	10	8	8	11
Wave Graph (?)
kJ (?)	57	36	38	80	80	132	423	301	119	90	281	103	65	62	35	78	62	59	91	185	572
Wind (km/h)	WSW	NE	NE	WNW	NNE	N	NNE	NW	W	NNW	SE	W	SW	E	ENE	E	E	WSW	NW	SSW	W
Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy	cross- off	on	on	cross- off	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross	cross- off	cross	cross	cross- off	off	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	glass	glass	cross- off	cross- off
High Tide / height (m)		2:18PM 2.26	2:41AM 2.19		3:07PM 2.24		3:30AM 2.17	3:56PM 2.23		4:20AM 2.17	4:43PM 2.21		5:11AM 2.16	5:30PM 2.18		6:01AM 2.17		6:16PM 2.14	6:48AM 2.18		7:02PM 2.11
Low Tide / height (m)			8:32PM 0.50	8:54AM 0.47		9:21PM 0.51	9:47AM 0.47		10:11PM 0.52	10:36AM 0.49		11:01PM 0.53	11:23AM 0.54		11:46PM 0.56		12:08PM 0.60	12:28AM 0.60		12:51PM 0.67	1:08AM 0.66

	Friday 19			Saturday 20			Sunday 21			Monday 22			Tuesday 23			Wednesday 24			Thursday 25
Sunrise	6:24	-	-	6:22	-	-	6:20	-	-	6:18	-	-	6:16	-	-	6:15	-	-	6:13	-	-
Sunset	-	6:21	-	-	6:22	-	-	6:22	-	-	6:24	-	-	6:25	-	-	6:27	-	-	6:28	-

Rain (mm)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Temp. °C	8	8	6	12	14	14	16	18	12	13	15	13	13	12	9	11	12	10	15	12	8
Feels °C (?)	5	3	-1	9	10	5	12	14	10	11	13	10	10	8	5	9	10	7	12	8	4

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 Onshore wind has changed to cross-on at Scarborough (moderate winds from the ENE at Taylor's Mistake 2 km from Scarborough). 1.3m 9s swell from the SE to make surfable waves.
1 hour 33 minutes ago Scarborough

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1 h 33 min ago

24 km/h

ENE

Cross-On

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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.

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.