Shingles Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(West Coast South Island, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Shingles Surf Guide

Shingles on the West Coast is an exposed beach break that has inconsistent surf with no particular seasonal pattern. Works best in offshore winds from the south. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the northwest. The beach break provides left and right handers. The quality of the surf isn't affected by the tide. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.

Shingles Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	5	inconsistent	15.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Shingles:

The best conditions reported for surf at Shingles occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Shingles (for consistent clean waves)?

augustBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Shingles with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 8% of the time in August while 17% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 75% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

17%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

75%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Shingles Location Map

Interactive Shingles surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Shingles is Westport Airport (WSZ) in New Zealand, 1 km (1 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Shingles is Hokitika Airport (HKK), also in New Zealand, 120 km (75 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Shingles Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 19:44 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05			Wed
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	14	13	13	13
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	cross	cross

What does Shingles look like?

Latest photos from Shingles. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Peter Crowley

Tides at Shingles

Current tide and informaton

For Westport, New Zealand, 2 km from Shingles.

Next High Water: 12:52am | 2.79m

Next Low Water: 07:05am | 0.76m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Shingles Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.7 °C) at Shingles is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (11.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.