Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 0.5ft (0.2m), 18s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period, E swell with 154 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 0.5ft (0.2m), 18s 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 Friday (Jul 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.2m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.5m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 0.5ft (0.2m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 0.5ft (0.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Well, looking at the next 16 days for Tawharanui, it’s a bit of a slow burner. The first week is pretty much a write-off for any decent surf, with a real dry spell from now through to the start of the next week. Things finally start looking up around July 24th, and we’ve got one standout window that’s worth putting in the diary.
Right now, Tuesday the 14th, there’s a tiny 3ft bump from the north with a weak period of just 5 seconds, and the combined energy is barely registering (45). A light cross-off wind is keeping the water clean, but it’s very ordinary. This leads into a long gap of almost no surf. From Wednesday the 15th all the way through to the 23rd, it’s mostly tiny, weak waves under 2ft with poor conditions. There’s a period around the 20th to 22nd where the swell tries to pick up to 3-5ft, but it’s coming from the east with onshore winds up to 22 mph, making it blown-out and choppy. That’s more kite-surfing weather than paddling—honestly, not worth a drop of wax.
Now, the first real glimmer comes on Friday morning, July 24th. With a 4ft NE swell, a period of 11 seconds, and combined energy at a moderate 440, it’s looking clean thanks to a gentle cross-off breeze. That’s good surf conditions. But the real standout is Saturday morning, July 25th. This is the pick of the run. We’ve got a solid 5ft NE swell, a nice 12-second groundswell period, and the wave energy jumps to a strong 652. The wind turns light and cross-off, so it’s going to be clean and well-shaped. Long period means longer lulls between sets and better-shaped waves at Tawharanui’s beach and reef set-up. Crowds are often around here, so get in early. The water temp is sitting at about 59°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Following that, Sunday the 26th morning still has a similar 5ft ENE swell with a 12-second period and a gentle cross-off breeze, keeping it clean. Wave energy remains strong at 725. It’s another very good session, just maybe a touch less tidy than Saturday due to the wind direction.
So, if you’re picking one, it’s Saturday morning the 25th of July. After that, things taper off through the 28th with dropping size, though Tuesday the 28th morning has a glassy 3ft E swell (294 energy) that’d be worth a look for a longboard.
Cheers, Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Fri night, fresh winds from the ESE by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | E 11 | E 10 | E 11 | E 14 | E 18 | E 17 | E 16 | E 16 | E 16 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 33 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 26 | 93 | 84 | 75 | 76 | 39 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 25 | 62 | 52 | 34 | 61 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:55PM2.70m | 7:18AM2.60m | 7:48PM2.77m | 8:12AM2.65m | 8:39PM2.81m | 9:05AM2.67m | 9:30PM2.81m | 9:56AM2.66m | 10:19PM2.77m | 10:46AM2.62m | 11:07PM2.71m | 11:34AM2.56m | 11:53PM2.61m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:22AM0.49m | 1:43PM0.31m | 2:17AM0.42m | 2:36PM0.26m | 3:09AM0.39m | 3:24PM0.27m | 3:58AM0.40m | 4:11PM0.33m | 4:46AM0.43m | 4:58PM0.44m | 5:34AM0.49m | 5:46PM0.58m | 6:21AM0.57m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 |
 | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | 5:27 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | E 10 | NNW 4 | E 14 | E 18 | E 17 | E 16 | E 16 | E 16 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 |
| kJ | 33 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 26 | 93 | 84 | 75 | 76 | 39 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | NE 10 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | E 11 | E 10 | N 5 | N 5 | — | NE 10 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 |
| kJ | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 11 | NE 10 | E 10 | E 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | — | E 14 | NE 10 | NE 9 | — | N 10 | — | — | — | N 8 | — | — | E 8 | NE 8 | — |
| kJ | 5 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 4 | — | 15 | 4 | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 3 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 2 | — | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 4 | SW 3 | S 2 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 62 | 52 | 34 | 61 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 60 | 60 | 280 | 208 | 66 | 59 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
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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