
Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, N swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, NE swell with 364 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s 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 Tuesday (Aug 11) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here.
Look, I’m gonna level with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak swell and iffy winds, so you might want to sort out your fishing gear or fix the roof. There’s a real gap in quality surf from right now through to the 23rd of August. Most days are showing nothing over 3ft, and a lot of that is short-period, onshore slop. The water temp at Tawharanui is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.
The only real pulse of energy in the whole window hits on the 12th of August, Wednesday. We’ve got a bump in swell up to 6ft from the NE, and the combined energy gets up to 364. But, and it’s a big but, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, and it’s raining. It’s going to be lumpy, messy, and pretty much a write-off for a paddle. The setup at Tawharanui (beach and reef) will just be a washing machine. Honestly, with that wind and size, it might be more interesting for the kite surfers than us.
Before that, Monday the 10th has a clean 4ft wave early with a light SW offshore, but it’s only 8 seconds of period and the energy is weak at 196. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Tuesday morning the 11th is glassy with a 4ft wave, but again, it’s just weak and short-period. These are the best of a bad bunch, but I wouldn’t call them standouts.
After that wind event on Wednesday, it just drops away. We’re looking at days of 2ft or less. There’s a few clean mornings with offshore winds, like Saturday the 15th, but the swell is just too small to push you down the line. It’s flat, plain and simple. The period does get long on the 20th, with a 19-second groundswell, but it’s only 0.3ft. That’s not a wave, that’s a ripple.
Then, on the 23rd of August, Sunday, a little pulse shows up. It’s 2ft to 3ft from the NNE, and the energy climbs back to 114. The wind is cross-off, so it could be clean, but it’s still small. It’s a faint glimmer after a long flat spell, but not enough to get too excited about.
So, bottom line: there’s nothing that gets my heart racing in this whole 16-day stretch. The pick of the junk is Tuesday morning the 11th – it’s glassy and clean, but tiny. If you’re desperate, that’s your window. Otherwise, this is a good time to do other things. The ocean is just taking a break. Forecasts can change, but this one looks pretty locked in for a while.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Wed morning, calm by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Sat afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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) | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 10 | NNE 9 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
187 | 153 | 153 | 240 | 177 | 361 | 337 | 244 | 127 | 65 | 34 | 55 | 35 | 35 | 29 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 28 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:45PM2.47m | 5:07AM2.44m | 5:45PM2.59m | 6:08AM2.53m | 6:38PM2.70m | 7:03AM2.61m | 7:29PM2.78m | 7:54AM2.67m | 8:17PM2.81m | 8:44AM2.69m | 9:04PM2.80m | 9:32AM2.69m | 9:50PM2.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:08PM0.71m | 11:32AM0.53m | 00:11AM0.62m | 12:33PM0.44m | 1:07AM0.52m | 1:27PM0.36m | 1:58AM0.45m | 2:16PM0.32m | 2:46AM0.41m | 3:01PM0.33m | 3:32AM0.40m | 3:45PM0.39m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 15 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
Feels °C | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 8 | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 6 | NNE 9 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 9 |
187 | 153 | 153 | 240 | 177 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 127 | 65 | 34 | 55 | 35 | 35 | 29 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 28 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | E 11 | N 13 | — | — | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 10 | E 6 | E 15 | E 6 | ESE 6 | NE 9 | ESE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | — | — | E 12 | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | E 13 | E 15 | — | NE 8 | NE 10 | ESE 7 | E 6 | — | E 11 | N 12 |
3 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | — | 21 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | — | — | N 4 | — | E 6 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 3 |
— | — | — | — | 11 | 361 | 337 | 244 | — | — | 19 | — | 20 | 18 | 31 | 17 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 5 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 64 | 102 | 102 | 61 | 0 | 27 | 33 | 1 | 64 | 13 | 0 | 78 | 92 | 33 | 33 | 22 |
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.











