Surf Forecasts:
Smoothwater Bay surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with 11,605 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period with WSW 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 (Jul 24) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s. 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 5.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 16ft (5.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 16ft (5.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Smoothwater Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Fri morning, min 4°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed afternoon, min 6°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 948 | 3823 | 8653 | 10739 | 7341 | 4237 | 1813 | 1585 | 1089 | 644 | 438 | 545 | 514 | 584 | 1634 | 2005 | 1609 | 5087 | 5733 | 4622 | 1929 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 7:41PM1.66m | 8:12AM1.69m | 8:42PM1.71m | 9:07AM1.75m | 9:33PM1.79m | 9:55AM1.82m | 10:17PM1.87m | 10:37AM1.89m | 10:56PM1.95m | 11:16AM1.95m | 11:31PM2.01m | 11:51AM1.99m | 00:05AM2.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:24PM0.84m | 2:00AM0.83m | 2:28PM0.83m | 2:57AM0.80m | 3:24PM0.78m | 3:46AM0.74m | 4:10PM0.71m | 4:28AM0.67m | 4:50PM0.63m | 5:06AM0.60m | 5:26PM0.56m | 5:41AM0.53m | 5:59PM0.50m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | | | |  | | |  | | | |
 | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:03 | — | — | 8:03 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — |
 | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — |
mm | 19 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 9 | 9 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 948 | 3823 | 8653 | 10739 | 7341 | 4237 | 1813 | 1585 | 1089 | 644 | 438 | 545 | 514 | 584 | 1634 | 2005 | 1609 | 5087 | 5733 | 4622 | 1929 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | WSW 16 | NNE 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NW 6 | — | — | — | W 16 |
| kJ | 187 | 131 | 83 | 3965 | 15 | 82 | 242 | 308 | 416 | 286 | 186 | 40 | 33 | 43 | 33 | 17 | 31 | — | — | — | 257 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | W 18 | — | — | — | SW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 7 |
| kJ | 202 | 98 | — | — | — | — | 55 | — | — | — | 12 | 26 | 26 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 99 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 151 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 239 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 151 | 151 | 235 | 0 | 217 | 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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