
Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 14s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, N swell with 453 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 14s 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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 2s 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 2.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) at 6AM. 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 Friday (Jul 31) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 1ft (0.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 1ft (0.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 31st Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next little while at Tawharanui.
Right off the bat, it's a pretty quiet start. There's some small swell in the water, but honestly, nothing worth paddling out for. The best we see in the early days is a tiny 2ft Easterly swell on the Wednesday morning, the 29th of July, with glassy conditions. That's a nice morning for a paddle if you're just wanting to get wet, but the waves aren't going to offer much. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
We then go through a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly messy conditions. The wind is all over the shop, mostly cross-shore or onshore, and the wave energy is just pitiful. There's a big gap of nothing really worthwhile until we get to Friday the 31st of July. That morning, we see a jump in size with a 6ft northerly swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it's going to be a bit of a lumpy, wind-affected mess. The wind is cross-offshore, which is a plus, but the swell is too short-period to really get excited about. The combined energy hits 342 (moderate), but it's still not a standout.
The real eye-opener, and the one to mark on your calendar, is Monday the 10th of August. We've got a solid 8ft swell from the East, with a 7-second period, pushing in. The energy is strong at 598 (strong wave energy). Now, this is a big one. At 8ft, this is expert territory, and it's pushing right into the beach-and-reef setup. The wind is a gentle cross-onshore, so it's not going to be perfect, but that's a lot of water moving. It's a long way out, so keep an eye on the charts, but this is the most promising pulse in the whole 16-day window. The afternoon holds at 7ft, still plenty of grunt. The direction is from the East, which is not the optimum NE for the spot, but with that much energy, it's still the main event.
For the rest of the second week, it's mostly small, weak, and chopped-out. The 6ft on the 7th of August is a write-off with fresh onshore winds, and the 5ft that morning is the same story. Honestly, that Monday the 10th is the only real shot at something memorable, and even then, it's a wild, expert-only kind of day.
So, to sum it up: a long, flat start, a small window of clean but tiny surf mid-week, a messy pulse at the end of July, and then a big, powerful, but tricky swell on the 10th of August. That's your best bet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon afternoon, min 8°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the N by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 11 | E 11 | E 13 | E 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | ESE 12 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | NW 6 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | 21 | 55 | 48 | 52 | 54 | 53 | 55 | 55 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 72 | 46 | 216 | 303 | 113 | 139 | 45 | 22 | 12 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 5:00PM2.21m | 5:06AM2.15m | 5:49PM2.26m | 5:55AM2.19m | 6:32PM2.33m | 6:40AM2.24m | 7:12PM2.40m | 7:22AM2.31m | 7:51PM2.47m | 8:04AM2.37m | 8:30PM2.52m | 8:45AM2.41m | 9:09PM2.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:30AM0.95m | 11:09PM0.99m | 11:24AM0.94m | 00:00AM0.96m | 12:17PM0.88m | 00:48AM0.92m | 1:04PM0.80m | 1:32AM0.85m | 1:46PM0.72m | 2:13AM0.78m | 2:26PM0.66m | 2:53AM0.72m | 3:04PM0.62m | ||||||||
7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | |
mm | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 13 |
Temp °C | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | E 13 | E 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | E 11 | N 7 | E 11 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 |
21 | 21 | 55 | 48 | 52 | 54 | 53 | 55 | 55 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 72 | 46 | 40 | 21 | 113 | 21 | 45 | 22 | 12 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 3 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | N 6 | E 6 | — | N 5 | — | SE 5 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | — | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 18 | E 11 | E 13 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 |
1 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 14 | 21 | 9 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | E 15 | — | — | N 6 | N 6 | N 11 | — | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — | N 19 | NE 11 | NE 18 | NE 17 | NE 16 | NE 16 | NE 15 |
4 | 17 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 3 | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 2 | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | N 3 | N 4 | N 6 | N 7 | WNW 4 | NW 6 | W 4 | W 3 | — |
— | — | 1 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 22 | 216 | 303 | 10 | 139 | 6 | 3 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 22 | 38 | 67 | 370 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 27 | 67 | 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.










