
Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, NE swell with 438 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tawharanui this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at the swell window ahead for Tawharanui. Gotta be straight with you: it’s gonna be a long, slow grind before we see anything worth getting truly excited about. The good news is the offshore winds are going to be hanging around a lot, so when the ocean finally wakes up, it should be clean.
Right now, and for the next several days, we're looking at flat, dribbly leftovers. Swell heights are stuck around 0.3 ft to 1 ft with weak combined energy, reading between 5 and 29 in the early going. The period is there, around 9 to 13 seconds, but there’s just no power behind it. Clean, offshore winds will make it look pretty, but you’ll be doing more floating than surfing. This stretch runs from Saturday the 12th right through to Sunday the 20th, with the energy only starting to build late in that run.
Keep an eye on Friday the 18th. The wind goes onshore from the NNE and it gets lumpy and messy. It’s a write-off, really. That north-northeast swell tries to build through the day – we're talking 4 ft to 6 ft – but the period is a short, crumbly 6 to 7 seconds, and the energy jumps into the moderate zone (251 to 298). This is going to be all over the shop, cross-onshore and choppy. This looks far more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers.
Then we get our one real standout. Saturday the 19th. The wind swings back offshore, blowing fresh from the SSW. The swell maxes out at 6 ft with a period of 8 seconds on the morning, and the combined energy is a solid 485, which is strong wave energy. It’s still a bit short-period for a beach and reef setup like this, but it will have some punch. The direction is NNE, which isn’t the optimum SW direction for this spot, so it might be a bit raw. But for the first time in the whole run, there's some proper size on offer. That morning is the pick of the entire 16 days, but honestly, it’s a 1 out of 10 for me – it's more about the hope than the certainty. The afternoon backs off a bit in size and gets harder to paddle into with a strong offshore.
After that, it fades again. Sunday the 20th sees 3 ft to 3 ft of wind-swell with a moderate 8 to 9 second period and clean, cross-off winds. Monday the 21st has a bit more size at 2 ft to 2 ft but it's still just average. Then it's back to tiny surf from Tuesday the 22nd through to Sunday the 27th, with heights dropping below 2 ft and energy falling back down to that weak range, with some glassy morning conditions on the 24th and 25th.
So, the long and short of it is: don't hold your breath. The water temp is sitting at 59°, about 0.7° warmer than average, so it’s pretty normal for this time of year. But the surf is a different story. It’s a classic flat spell. Forecasts can change, but right now, the only day worth checking is that Saturday the 19th. Promising, but far from certain. I’ll be watching.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Wed night, fresh winds from the N by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 9 | NNE 12 | NNE 13 | NNE 13 | NNE 13 | NNE 13 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | ENE 12 | N 4 | N 5 | NNE 7 | ENE 6 | NE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 80 | 166 | 167 | 438 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 7:51PM2.75m | 8:21AM2.69m | 8:36PM2.72m | 9:06AM2.67m | 9:19PM2.66m | 9:49AM2.62m | 10:01PM2.57m | 10:31AM2.54m | 10:43PM2.46m | 11:12AM2.44m | 11:25PM2.36m | 11:54AM2.33m | 00:08AM2.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:53PM0.41m | 2:19AM0.43m | 2:36PM0.42m | 3:01AM0.43m | 3:17PM0.47m | 3:42AM0.46m | 3:59PM0.54m | 4:22AM0.52m | 4:42PM0.64m | 5:03AM0.61m | 5:27PM0.74m | 5:45AM0.71m | 6:16PM0.84m | ||||||||
6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | |
— | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 6 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | NNE 12 | NNE 13 | NNE 13 | NNE 13 | NNE 13 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NNE 12 | NE 11 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | ENE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NNE 7 | N 7 | NE 11 |
8 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 166 | 131 | 5 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 12 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | N 13 | N 13 | N 13 | E 9 | N 12 | NE 13 | NE 11 | N 11 | NE 11 | N 11 | N 11 | E 13 | NE 11 | — | — |
6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 13 | NE 13 | N 16 | N 14 | N 14 | N 14 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | N 12 | E 9 | N 12 | N 11 | E 8 | N 11 | N 10 | N 11 | — | E 12 | — | — |
7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 5 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 2 | SW 3 | SW 3 | WSW 2 | — | NNW 3 | N 4 | N 5 | NE 7 | ENE 6 | NE 8 |
54 | 46 | 26 | 28 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 22 | 80 | 77 | 167 | 438 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 162 | 115 | 22 | 22 | 78 | 183 | 202 | 78 | 73 | 66 | 66 | 202 | 107 | 279 | 102 | 67 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 161 | 64 |
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.










