Smithfield Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Canterbury, New Zealand)

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

Smithfield Surf Guide

Smithfield in S Canterbury is an exposed reef break that only works once in a while with no particular seasonal pattern. Ideal winds are from the west. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the south southeast. There is a right breaking reef. Best around high tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Watch out for sharks and rocks.

Smithfield Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	inconsistent	13.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Smithfield:

The best conditions reported for surf at Smithfield occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Smithfield with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 47% of the time in June while 34% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 19% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

47%

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

blown out

34%

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

too small

19%

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

Explore Smithfield Location Map

Interactive Smithfield 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 Smithfield is Timaru Airport (TIU) in New Zealand, 8 km (5 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Smithfield is Oamaru Airport (OAM), also in New Zealand, 67 km (42 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.

Smithfield Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 23:15 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Period (s)	17	16	15	15
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off

What does Smithfield look like?

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

Credit: Sam Richards

Tides at Smithfield

Current tide and informaton

For Timaru Harbour, New Zealand, 3 km from Smithfield.

Next High Water: 05:41am | 2.29m

Next Low Water: 11:59pm | 0.87m

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

Smithfield Sea Temperature

The water temperature (13.5 °C) at Smithfield 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.