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Smoothwater Bay Surf Forecast
/ West Coast South Island (21 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Smoothwater Bay surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Monday 18 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Smoothwater Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Smoothwater Bay sea temperature is
14.8° C
(Which is 1.1°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Smoothwater Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Smoothwater Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Smoothwater Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 21) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (May 23) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Tue 19th May) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 23rd May) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Thu 21st May) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Smoothwater Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed night, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the ENE by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 127mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mon 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | NW 9 | NW 12 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | |
974 | 800 | 789 | 622 | 461 | 321 | 220 | 560 | 4634 | 2686 | 1348 | 411 | 759 | 900 | 620 | 876 | 4108 | 2379 | 1560 | 875 | 497 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | |
High Tide | 00:31AM2.17m | 1:03PM2.13m | 1:25AM2.13m | 2:01PM2.06m | 2:22AM2.06m | 3:02PM1.97m | 3:24AM1.98m | 4:04PM1.88m | 4:28AM1.90m | 5:06PM1.81m | 5:34AM1.84m | 6:09PM1.76m | 6:39AM1.82m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:19PM0.25m | 6:44AM0.22m | 7:13PM0.32m | 7:41AM0.30m | 8:09PM0.41m | 8:42AM0.39m | 9:09PM0.51m | 9:46AM0.49m | 10:11PM0.59m | 10:51AM0.56m | 11:16PM0.65m | 11:55AM0.61m | 00:21AM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | |  |  |  |  |  | | |  |  | |  | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:03 |
 | 5:27 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:21 | — | 5:21 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 15 | 6 | 30 | 28 | 42 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 7 | NW 9 | NW 12 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 |
 kJ | 974 | 800 | 789 | 622 | 461 | 321 | 138 | 560 | 4634 | 2686 | 1348 | 411 | 759 | 900 | 620 | 876 | 4108 | 2379 | 1560 | 875 | 497 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 16 | SW 22 | SW 21 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WNW 14 | W 11 | W 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 10 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | NNE 9 | — |
| kJ | — | 5 | 18 | 18 | 27 | 66 | 220 | 125 | 48 | 671 | 695 | 332 | 437 | 333 | 256 | 327 | 465 | 319 | 202 | 141 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 21 | SW 20 | SW 20 | WSW 18 | WNW 16 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | WSW 6 | — | — | — | SW 16 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 9 | 15 | 16 | 32 | 107 | 80 | 135 | 127 | 174 | 169 | 108 | 5 | 40 | — | — | — | 62 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 5 | NE 6 | — | — | — | NNE 9 | — | — | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | — | — | — | — | NNE 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 80 | 363 | — | — | — | 273 | — | — | 79 | 66 | — | — | — | — | 117 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 259 | 259 | 259 | 36 | 259 | 151 | 151 | 151 | 0 | 231 | 0 | 0 | 259 | 36 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Smoothwater Bay 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 Smoothwater Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Smoothwater Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Smoothwater Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Smoothwater Bay 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 (Smoothwater Bay) 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 Smoothwater Bay 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 West Coast South Island? If you are looking for accommodation near Smoothwater Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in West Coast South Island, consider staying in Okuru which is 28 km (17 miles) away.
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