Surf Forecasts:
Scarborough surf forecast from 25 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 26 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, NE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 29 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 17s period, SSE swell with 170 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 26 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period with NE 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 Saturday (Sep 26) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Scarborough in the next 16 days are 0.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 29) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 3s period and expected on Friday (Oct 02) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 26th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 26th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 29th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Scarborough over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 4°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 6°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 26 | Sunday 27 | Monday 28 | Tuesday 29 | Wednesday 30 | Thursday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 15 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | NE 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 38 | 59 | 57 | 53 | 50 | 42 | 61 | 58 | 33 | 99 | 168 | 103 | 94 | 42 | 49 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 11 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross | glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 3:38AM2.17m | 3:59PM2.25m | 4:21AM2.24m | 4:43PM2.29m | 5:08AM2.29m | 5:30PM2.32m | 5:59AM2.35m | 6:22PM2.32m | 6:53AM2.40m | 7:19PM2.31m | 7:48AM2.44m | 8:18PM2.29m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:27PM0.56m | 9:51AM0.54m | 10:12PM0.51m | 10:36AM0.50m | 10:59PM0.48m | 11:21AM0.47m | 11:47PM0.47m | 12:10PM0.47m | 00:35AM0.46m | 1:02PM0.48m | 1:26AM0.46m | 2:00PM0.50m | 2:22AM0.47m | ||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | NE 6 | ESE 12 | SE 8 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | SSE 15 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 38 | 59 | 57 | 28 | 50 | 21 | 61 | 58 | 33 | 99 | 168 | 103 | 94 | 42 | 49 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 11 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 13 | NE 5 | ESE 15 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SSE 14 | ESE 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | SSE 9 | E 11 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SE 9 | S 16 |
| kJ | 28 | 2 | 2 | 53 | 4 | 42 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 32 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | — | E 18 | E 16 | E 16 | ESE 11 | S 10 | S 12 | E 7 | NE 4 | — | — | — | E 12 | — | SSE 11 | SSE 9 | — | SE 9 |
| kJ | 4 | — | 6 | 21 | 43 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 11 | 9 | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 3 | NE 3 | NE 5 | NNW 4 | S 3 | SW 3 | — | NW 3 | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NE 3 | NE 3 | — | — | NE 3 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 7 | 8 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 2 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 31 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 294 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 36 | 31 |
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