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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 Thursday 28 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
14.7° C
(Which is 1.4°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Smoothwater Bay surf forecast from 28 May 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 29 May, 3AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 31 May, 3PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, N swell with 3,723 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 29 May, 3AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 15s period with SW swell.
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 Friday (May 29) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Smoothwater Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 31) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jun 02) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 29th May) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Fri 29th May) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 31st May) | 13ft (4.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Smoothwater Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat night, min 9°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the NE by Sun morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 106mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Wed morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thu 28 | Friday 29 | Saturday 30 | Sunday 31 | Monday 1 | Tuesday 2 | Wednesday 3 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | NNE 6 | NE 7 | NNW 11 | N 11 | N 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | NNE 10 | W 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | NE 7 | |
801 | 1695 | 1368 | 1089 | 700 | 424 | 325 | 774 | 3087 | 3723 | 1902 | 1155 | 856 | 549 | 625 | 684 | 1857 | 1706 | 878 | 392 | 490 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | |
High Tide | 9:36PM1.87m | 9:55AM1.91m | 10:15PM1.92m | 10:34AM1.93m | 10:51PM1.96m | 11:11AM1.95m | 11:27PM1.97m | 11:48AM1.95m | 00:03AM1.97m | 12:25PM1.93m | 00:39AM1.94m | 1:03PM1.90m | 1:16AM1.91m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:25PM0.61m | 3:46AM0.59m | 4:06PM0.59m | 4:26AM0.57m | 4:45PM0.58m | 5:03AM0.56m | 5:22PM0.57m | 5:38AM0.56m | 5:58PM0.58m | 6:13AM0.56m | 6:35PM0.58m | 6:50AM0.58m | 7:11PM0.59m | 7:29AM0.60m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | |
 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:11 | — | — | 8:11 |
 | 5:19 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | 5:15 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 35 | 49 | 26 | 11 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | |
Temp °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 6 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | NNW 9 | NNW 11 | WSW 12 | N 10 | NNE 10 | WNW 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 |
 kJ | 801 | 1695 | 1368 | 1089 | 700 | 424 | 277 | 415 | 3087 | 86 | 1902 | 1155 | 130 | 549 | 625 | 529 | 263 | 125 | 878 | 392 | 77 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | N 12 | NNE 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | — | SW 12 | SW 13 | — | WSW 12 | WNW 10 | WSW 11 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 14 | SW 18 | N 12 | NNE 11 | NNE 11 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 2 | — | 154 | 78 | — | 131 | 277 | 148 | 87 | 101 | 684 | 49 | 103 | 206 | 150 | 54 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 12 | N 11 | N 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | WSW 12 | NW 9 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | NW 8 | NNW 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | N 14 |
| kJ | 5 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 180 | 86 | 148 | 111 | 17 | 5 | 41 | 65 | 54 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | — | NNE 8 | NE 3 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NNE 6 | NE 7 | NE 8 | N 11 | — | — | NNE 10 | — | — | WSW 4 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | — | NE 3 | NE 7 |
| kJ | 122 | — | 6 | 5 | 21 | 89 | 325 | 774 | 1303 | 3723 | — | — | 856 | — | — | 23 | 1857 | 1706 | — | 8 | 490 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 259 | 0 | 36 | 259 | 228 | 228 | 228 | 228 | 36 | 259 | 151 | 0 | 259 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 228 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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