Tawharanui Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.37° S 174.84° E

Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 20 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tawharanui sea temperature is
14.9° C
0.3° 

Tawharanui surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Tawharanui surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 6s period, NNW swell with 207 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with E swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tawharanui this week:

The surf forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.8m 6s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12PM (Tue 21st Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 6s
Best Surf12PM (Tue 21st Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 6s
Most Powerful 3PM (Fri 24th Jul)6ft (1.8m) 6s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Right, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at Tawharanui for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim run on the whole. The forecast is showing a lot of small, weak swell and a heap of cross-shore or strong offshore winds that are going to make it tough to find anything worth paddling out for. The first real action doesn’t even show up until the afternoon of Monday the 21st of July, and even then it’s just a 2ft from the east with a bit of a cross-offshore wind. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about normal for this time of year.

There’s a few windows where the wind goes clean, but the swell is just too small. Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th are clean but the waves are barely a ripple. The standout—if you can call it that—is the afternoon of Friday the 25th of July. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the north-northwest, which is solid, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is a fresh cross-shore. The combined energy is moderate (212), so there’s some push there, but it’s going to be lumpy and choppy. Definitely not for beginners at that size, and only for the keen on a beach-reef setup.

After that, the wind goes offshore for a few days, but the swell drops back to tiny 0.7ft to 1ft. There’s a long stretch of nothing until the 1st of August, where the afternoon shows a 1ft from the north-east with a 15-second period and a cross-offshore breeze. The energy is weak (59), but it’s clean. Then on the 2nd of August, the morning offers a 1ft from the north-east with a 14-second period and gentle offshore wind. It’s surfable, but it’s small.

The last real event is the afternoon of the 3rd of August, with a 5ft from the north at a 6-second period. The energy is moderate (174), and the wind is cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. But that short period means it’s going to be a bit crumbly and fat. The 4th of August has a 3ft from the north in the morning, also clean, but again, small.

So, overall, don’t get your hopes up. The best bet is the 6ft on the afternoon of the 25th of July if you can handle the choppy conditions, or the 5ft on the afternoon of the 3rd of August for a cleaner but shorter-period wave. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Mon morning, fresh winds from the E by Mon night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Thu morning, strong winds from the WSW by Sat night).

Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
E
12
0.2
E
12
1.5
E
6
1
E
6
0.7
E
6
0.4
ENE
5
0.3
ENE
5
0.2
N
7
0.2
N
8
0.2
NNE
7
0.1
E
10
0.1
E
11
0.9
NNW
4
1.8
NNW
6
0.9
NNW
7
0.4
NNW
7
0.3
NNW
7
0.9
NNW
5
0.3
E
11
0.3
E
11
0.2
E
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
12
12
165
66
31
10
5
4
5
5
2
2
28
207
77
15
9
40
22
21
15
Wind (km/h)
5
ESE
15
ENE
30
E
25
ESE
10
S
15
SW
10
W
20
SW
20
WSW
10
WSW
20
WSW
15
WNW
25
NNW
30
NW
35
W
30
WSW
30
W
40
WSW
50
WSW
35
SW
15
SW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
High Tide
11:34AM2.56m
11:53PM2.61m
12:22PM2.48m
00:40AM2.50m
1:11PM2.38m
1:27AM2.39m
2:02PM2.28m
2:18AM2.28m
3:01PM2.21m
3:13AM2.20m
4:03PM2.19m
4:11AM2.15m
5:00PM2.21m
Low Tide
5:46PM0.58m
6:21AM0.57m
6:38PM0.71m
7:09AM0.67m
7:32PM0.82m
7:57AM0.76m
8:27PM0.90m
8:46AM0.85m
9:21PM0.96m
9:37AM0.92m
10:15PM0.98m
10:30AM0.95m
11:09PM0.99m
cloud
light rain
mod rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:26
7:26
7:24
7:24
7:24
7:22
7:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:27
5:27
5:28
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:30
 mm
4
10
5
2
5
3
7
1
1
Temp °C
13
14
14
11
12
11
13
14
13
14
14
12
13
13
13
13
13
13
11
11
10
Feels °C
11
11
8
6
9
8
10
10
9
11
10
9
8
8
7
6
6
5
0
3
4
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Tawharanui Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Tawharanui provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tawharanui can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tawharanui 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 (Tawharanui) 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 Tawharanui 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.

Tawharanui is 48 km (30 miles) from the city of Northshore. If you plan a holiday in Northland, look for hotels and other accommodation in Northshore. Northshore has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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