
Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period, E swell with 94 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 0.7m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
G’day, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you—this outlook for Tawharanui is a tough one. We’ve got a solid run of small, messy, or wind-affected surf stretching across the whole 16-day window, with not a single standout session worth getting truly excited about. The first real surf recommendation doesn’t kick in until Wednesday morning the 8th of July, and even then it’s pretty ordinary. Let’s walk through it.
Wednesday morning the 8th of July offers the most promising start, if you can call it that. You’re looking at a small 3ft swell pushing in from the NNE with a short 8-second period—so not much power or shape. The wind is a cross-off from the SSW at 16 mph, which will keep the surface reasonably clean, but don’t expect much push. Combined energy is sitting at 121 (moderate wave energy), and the water temp is 60°, which is about average for this time of year. The wave comment says “poor surf conditions,” so it’s small and ordinary, but at least the wind is okay. This is a beginner-friendly setup given the size, and Tawharanui is a fairly consistent beach and reef break that handles swell from the NE. Crowds are often here, so you might have company even on a weak day.
Wednesday afternoon sees the swell drop a little to 2ft from the east with a 7-second period, and though the wind goes offshore from the SSW at 12 mph, it’s still very average—just “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.”
Thursday the 9th and into Friday the 10th, things go downhill fast. Swell drops to 2ft and 2ft, winds pick up strong to 25 mph from the south on Thursday afternoon, and the energy plummets to 53 (weak). Poor surf conditions across the board. The weekend is even smaller—1ft on Saturday and Sunday with light cross-shore breezes that leave a few ripples on the surface but no real waves to ride. Monday brings a tiny 2ft to 2ft NNE swell with a pathetic 4-second period and onshore cross winds, making it choppy and disappointing.
From Tuesday the 14th through to Tuesday the 21st of July, the swell stays tiny or gets blown out. We do see a jump in swell size on Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th—5ft to 6ft from the NE and ENE—but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore at 19–22 mph, making it lumpy and messy. Combined energy climbs to 342 (moderate) but the conditions are rated “poor surf conditions” each time, so that’s a no-go for paddle surfing. Honestly, with those winds and a beach-and-reef setup, that period looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a normal surfboard.
Toward the very end of the outlook, on Tuesday the 21st of July, a bigger 8ft NNE swell rolls in with a long 11-second period and combined energy of 2870 (strong to very strong wave energy). But again, the wind is a cross-on from the ESE at 22 mph, the call is “poor surf conditions,” and the size makes it expert-only at a beach-and-reef break. Not a clean day.
So, summing it up: there’s no true standout here. The best of a weak bunch is Wednesday morning the 8th of July—3ft NNE swell with clean cross-off winds—but it’s still small and mediocre. If you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window. The rest is a long stretch of flat, small, or wind-battered conditions. Tawharanui doesn’t often stay this poor for long, but this 16-day run is a real test of patience.
Stay tuned, forecasts can always change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Thu afternoon, light winds from the S by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NNE 8 | E 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | NE 4 | N 4 | NNE 4 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
77 | 47 | 92 | 71 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 60 | 86 | 71 | 33 | 17 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 8 | 18 | 51 | 25 | 19 | 14 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:45PM2.30m | 1:10AM2.38m | 1:38PM2.29m | 2:05AM2.36m | 2:41PM2.31m | 3:08AM2.36m | 3:53PM2.36m | 4:14AM2.39m | 5:01PM2.47m | 5:20AM2.46m | 6:01PM2.59m | 6:21AM2.53m | 6:55PM2.70m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:12PM0.84m | 7:48AM0.69m | 8:13PM0.84m | 8:43AM0.65m | 9:15PM0.81m | 9:41AM0.60m | 10:18PM0.75m | 10:41AM0.54m | 11:22PM0.67m | 11:44AM0.46m | 00:24AM0.58m | 12:46PM0.38m | 1:22AM0.49m | ||||||||
7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | |
— | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | E 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 7 | E 6 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 5 | E 9 | E 9 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 |
77 | 47 | 92 | 71 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 60 | 86 | 71 | 21 | 13 | 29 | 27 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 19 | 14 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | N 14 | N 14 | N 13 | N 13 | N 12 | ESE 10 | E 10 | N 11 | E 12 | N 11 | NE 5 | NE 12 | NE 11 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
30 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | NNW 8 | N 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 12 | N 12 | — | N 11 | — | E 9 | N 9 | N 9 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 |
14 | 20 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 7 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | S 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 5 | S 6 | S 5 | S 4 | — | SSE 2 | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | N 4 | NNE 4 | N 5 | — | — | WNW 2 |
42 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 117 | 177 | 100 | 26 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 8 | 18 | 51 | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 157 | 44 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 22 | 22 | 64 | 64 | 38 | 67 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 102 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










