Smoothwater Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(West Coast South Island, New Zealand)

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

Smoothwater Bay Surf Guide

Smoothwater Bay in West Coast South Island is an exposed point break that has very consistent surf and works all around the year. Offshore winds blow from the south southeast and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. The best swell direction is from the northwest. No point break here as well as a left hand reef break. Good surf at all stages of the tide. The location means that it never gets crowded. Beware of - Rips / undertow - Rocks - Sharks.

Smoothwater Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Point	3
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
very consistent	60°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Smoothwater Bay:

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

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

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

augustBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Smoothwater Bay 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 11% of the time in August while 20% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 69% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

11%

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

blown out

20%

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

too small

69%

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

Explore Smoothwater Bay Location Map

Interactive Smoothwater Bay 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 Smoothwater Bay is Wanaka Airport (WKA) in New Zealand, 98 km (61 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Smoothwater Bay is Queenstown Airport (ZQN), also in New Zealand, 117 km (73 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (ft)
Live Wind Speed (mph)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (ft)
Wind Speed (mph)

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

Smoothwater Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 22 May 2025, 06:10 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 22
ft, °F	3AM	6AM	9AM	12PM
Wave (ft)	WSW	WSW	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	12	12	14	16
Wind (mph)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off	cross

Tides at Smoothwater Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Jackson Bay, New Zealand, 2 miles from Smoothwater Bay.

Next High Water: 06:30am | 6ft

Next Low Water: 12:52pm | 2ft

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

Smoothwater Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.4 °C) at Smoothwater Bay 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 (12.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

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