Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, N swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period, NNW swell with 54 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with N 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.0m 5s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – Tawharanui is looking pretty quiet for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a dry spell of about 12 days from the start of the forecast right through to the afternoon of the 1st of September. Tiny waves, weak energy, and the wind just won’t play ball. Water temp is 58°F, right on the mark for this time of year – nothing weird.
From Thursday the 20th of August through to early September, it’s mostly knee-biters. Swell heights are under 2ft, the combined energy is mostly well under 100 (a lot of days in the single digits or 20s, 30s), and the winds switch from cross-off to cross to cross-on. Nothing has any grunt.
We get a little bump on the 31st of August – swell hits about 2ft, combined energy hits 104, and the wind goes light cross-shore. But the report still says “poor surf conditions” and the score is zero. So no.
The first real chance is Wednesday the 2nd of September. Swell jumps to 6ft in the morning, then 7ft in the afternoon, with combined energy at 246 and 427 – that’s solid. Swell direction is from the north-northeast to north, period short at 6-7 seconds. Winds are light cross-shore, so expect some chop. It’s surfable, but the short period will make it lumpy and sectiony. More of a grunt session than a glide.
Thursday the 3rd of September is the big one for the brave. Swell is 5ft in the morning, 4ft in the afternoon, from the north, period 8 seconds. Combined energy is 335 and 368 – strong. But the wind is screaming offshore from the southwest at 28 mph. It’ll be glassy clean, but you’ll be fighting the paddle. This is expert territory only. The break is Tawharanui, a beach and reef setup, exposed to the northeast. The optimum swell direction is NE, and we’re getting north – close enough but not a perfect match. Short period means it’ll be a bit dumpy.
Friday the 4th of September eases off. Swell drops to 2ft, combined energy 69, moderate offshore wind at 16 mph. Small, clean, and ordinary.
The best of a pretty average bunch is Wednesday the 2nd of September for a bit of size, or Thursday the 3rd of September if you’ve got the skills and the paddle fitness. Nothing here to get excited about. It’s a tough stretch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the W by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | NE 14 | NW 4 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | N 6 | NNW 5 | E 12 | NE 10 | N 12 | E 13 | E 12 | NE 10 | NE 10 | N 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 26 | 25 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 37 | 43 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:32PM2.36m | 00:47AM2.32m | 1:20PM2.25m | 1:35AM2.21m | 2:15PM2.16m | 2:28AM2.13m | 3:21PM2.13m | 3:28AM2.09m | 4:24PM2.16m | 4:29AM2.11m | 5:16PM2.23m | 5:24AM2.16m | 6:01PM2.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:53PM0.84m | 7:13AM0.81m | 7:47PM0.93m | 8:03AM0.90m | 8:42PM0.99m | 8:56AM0.96m | 9:38PM1.03m | 9:53AM0.98m | 10:35PM1.03m | 10:52AM0.96m | 11:29PM0.99m | 11:47AM0.89m | 00:18AM0.92m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 8 | NE 14 | NE 13 | NE 13 | N 6 | NNW 5 | N 5 | — | — | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | N 4 |
| kJ | 26 | 25 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 16 | NE 14 | E 9 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | — | — | — | N 6 | NE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | E 14 | — | E 10 | NE 11 | E 12 | E 12 | N 6 | N 12 | E 13 | E 12 | — | N 10 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 2 | WSW 2 | — | WSW 2 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 4 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | WSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 37 | 43 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 22 | 22 | 60 | 22 | 66 | 60 | 107 | 279 | 359 | 359 | 369 | 66 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 102 | 81 | 256 | 102 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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