Surf Forecasts:
Scarborough surf forecast from 17 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 13s period, SE swell with 175 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period with E 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 3s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Scarborough in the next 16 days are 0.7m 13s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 11s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 21st Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Scarborough over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 5°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri afternoon, strong winds from the SW by Sun morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 11°C on Mon afternoon, min 4°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | ESE 14 | E 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ENE 6 | ESE 11 | E 11 | SE 13 | NE 11 | SE 8 | E 10 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 18 | SSE 18 | ESE 11 | E 11 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 20 | 40 | 84 | 82 | 93 | 47 | 42 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 175 | 29 | 15 | 9 | 34 | 11 | 128 | 32 | 23 | 9 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | cross | off | cross-off | off | off | on | cross-on | cross-off | off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:27PM2.14m | 9:45AM2.23m | 10:14PM2.10m | 10:30AM2.17m | 10:58PM2.06m | 11:18AM2.12m | 11:44PM2.02m | 12:09PM2.10m | 00:32AM2.01m | 12:59PM2.10m | 1:22AM2.02m | 1:48PM2.12m | 2:10AM2.06m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:13PM0.71m | 3:27AM0.73m | 4:02PM0.76m | 4:15AM0.79m | 4:51PM0.79m | 5:02AM0.80m | 5:41PM0.80m | 5:48AM0.79m | 6:29PM0.77m | 6:34AM0.75m | 7:15PM0.73m | 7:23AM0.71m | 8:00PM0.67m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 7 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
Feels °C | 5 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | SSE 10 | E 11 | SE 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ENE 4 | E 10 | SE 6 | E 12 | SSE 18 | E 11 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 20 | 17 | 84 | 82 | 93 | 47 | 16 | 20 | 9 | 21 | 175 | 24 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 32 | 9 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | ESE 14 | S 16 | NE 4 | SSE 18 | SSE 15 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ENE 11 | E 11 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 7 | NE 5 | SE 12 | — | E 11 | ESE 11 | E 11 |
| kJ | 5 | 40 | 5 | 2 | 30 | 22 | 42 | 25 | 24 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | — | 9 | 23 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | S 16 | NE 12 | NE 12 | S 17 | S 16 | ENE 8 | — | E 9 | S 14 | S 14 | E 10 | SE 13 | E 10 | NNW 3 | SE 4 | — | S 16 |
| kJ | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 6 | — | 2 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 3 | — | ENE 4 | NE 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | W 3 | S 4 | SSW 11 | NE 11 | NE 4 | NNW 3 | SSE 6 | — | SSE 18 | SW 2 | S 16 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 3001 | 29 | 15 | 9 | 34 | — | 128 | 1 | 195 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 23 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 33 | 31 | 38 | 8 | 32 | 659 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 27 | 2 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 301 | 23 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 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.
Nearest