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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 11 pm Tuesday 05 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
15.7° C
(Which is 1.5°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 Friday (May 08) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 13s. 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 5.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Monday (May 11) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 7s period and expected on Thursday (May 07) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Fri 8th May) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sat 9th May) | 16ft (5.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 11th May) | 18ft (5.5m) 13s |
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 136mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the NE by Fri afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri night, min 5°C on Sun night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 6 | Thursday 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | Sunday 10 | Monday 11 | Tue 12 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | NE 7 | NNE 8 | N 8 | N 9 | WSW 13 | N 9 | NNW 11 | W 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | |
395 | 365 | 499 | 540 | 1790 | 846 | 770 | 494 | 2663 | 5325 | 4923 | 1881 | 4186 | 4429 | 5868 | 9087 | 6190 | 4638 | 3095 | 1862 | 1672 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | |
High Tide | 1:32AM1.84m | 1:59PM1.77m | 2:13AM1.76m | 2:46PM1.69m | 3:02AM1.69m | 3:40PM1.62m | 4:01AM1.63m | 4:42PM1.58m | 5:07AM1.60m | 5:47PM1.58m | 6:13AM1.63m | 6:49PM1.63m | 7:12AM1.71m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:45AM0.58m | 8:08PM0.62m | 8:29AM0.64m | 8:54PM0.67m | 9:23AM0.68m | 9:48PM0.71m | 10:26AM0.70m | 10:52PM0.71m | 11:32AM0.67m | 11:58PM0.68m | 12:34PM0.60m | 1:00AM0.61m | 1:30PM0.51m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | |  | | |
 | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:50 | — |
 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:32 |
— | 1 | 15 | 45 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 29 | 16 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 6 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | N 8 | N 9 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | W 12 | NNW 10 | NW 9 | WSW 13 | N 12 | N 11 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
 kJ | 68 | 365 | 499 | 459 | 390 | 846 | 770 | 451 | 573 | 499 | 4923 | 1308 | 314 | 4429 | 11 | 10 | 6190 | 4638 | 3095 | 1862 | 1672 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | N 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WSW 17 | N 11 | WSW 15 | NNE 8 | NW 9 | N 12 | — | N 11 | N 12 | W 9 | N 11 | N 12 |
| kJ | 395 | 11 | 38 | 212 | 167 | 379 | 379 | 25 | 7 | 504 | 1786 | 1314 | 57 | 75 | 11 | — | 3 | 3 | 340 | 2 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | W 16 | N 12 | NNW 8 | N 15 | WNW 12 | WNW 10 | SW 18 | — | W 16 | WSW 15 | — | N 12 | NNE 8 | — | — | N 14 | — | N 11 | — | — |
| kJ | 11 | 5 | 11 | 136 | 4 | 14 | 33 | 84 | — | 134 | 1405 | — | 12 | 21 | — | — | 4 | — | 3 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 8 | — | — | NNE 8 | N 9 | NNW 11 | — | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | — | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 17 | 329 | 436 | 540 | 1790 | — | — | 494 | 2663 | 5325 | — | 1881 | 4186 | — | 5868 | 9087 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 36 | 228 | 228 | 259 | 228 | 259 | 228 | 0 | 238 | 250 | 461 | 228 | 0 | 0 | 217 | 833 | 0 | 217 | 0 | 0 | 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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