Surf Forecasts:
Inner Cut surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, NNW swell with 156 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Inner Cut this week:
The surf forecast for Inner Cut over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Inner Cut in the next 16 days are 1.4m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 7s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Inner Cut over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. This is going to be a lean spell for Inner Cut (The-Cut-Nelson-Harbour). A long, long wait before anything even gets close to worth paddling out for. For the first week and a half, we are looking at flat to tiny junk. It’s not until Thursday the 17th of September that we finally see a pulse of energy, and even then, it’s only a glimpse.
For days, it's all zeros and poor surf conditions. The first half of the 16-day run is basically a write-off. Then, on Thursday morning the 17th, things finally change. We get a bit of NNW swell pushing 5ft with a period of 6 seconds. The combined energy (229) is moderate and the wind goes glassy out of the NW. For a spot that’s inconsistent, seeing it come alive like that is a real treat. That Thursday morning session is your one and only standout. It’s small, it’s short period, and it’s a point break so the shorter period might keep things a bit bumpy, but with glassy conditions it’ll be clean. For an intermediate, that’s the one to aim for. The rest of that day falls apart with a strong WSW wind picking up. After that, the swell collapses back to tiny nothingness for the following week. There's a brief flash of glassy conditions again on Monday afternoon the 21st, but the swell is only 3ft, and the combined energy is weak (49). It’s there, but it’s not the same quality.
Looking further out, there are more days of small, poor surf through the second week. Nothing else really steps up to be a true standout. You can see the energy just isn't there. It’s a tough stretch.
For water temp, it’s about average for the time of year.
So, keep your eyes peeled for that Thursday the 17th morning session. It’s the only real highlight in a long, quiet period.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 5°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the SW by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NW 15 | NW 15 | N 15 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | N 6 | NNW 6 | N 6 | NNW 17 | NNW 16 | N 7 | NNW 5 | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | NNW 16 | NNW 5 | NE 3 | NNW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 62 | 156 | 32 | 28 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:49PM4.14m | 12:10PM4.08m | 00:23AM3.94m | 12:43PM3.91m | 00:59AM3.69m | 1:16PM3.72m | 1:39AM3.41m | 1:53PM3.48m | 2:28AM3.15m | 2:36PM3.23m | 3:33AM2.96m | 3:41PM2.99m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:50AM0.57m | 5:58PM0.71m | 6:25AM0.78m | 6:30PM0.95m | 7:01AM1.01m | 7:05PM1.21m | 7:40AM1.25m | 7:50PM1.48m | 8:28AM1.49m | 8:57PM1.70m | 9:29AM1.67m | 10:35PM1.80m | |||||||
 |  | |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 9 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 15 | NW 15 | N 15 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | — | — | N 6 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | NW 15 | NW 16 | NNW 5 | NNW 15 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 4 |
| kJ | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | 73 | 32 | 8 | 9 | 59 | 38 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | N 6 | — | — | NW 16 | NW 16 | NNW 17 | NNW 16 | N 7 | NNW 5 | NNW 15 | — | NNW 8 | NW 11 | NW 15 | NNW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 10 | 10 | 28 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 22 | — | 7 | 5 | 8 | 21 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 16 | N 10 | N 10 | — | N 7 | — | — | NNW 16 | NW 16 | NW 10 | ENE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 25 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | WNW 4 | NNW 5 | N 6 | NNW 6 | — | WSW 3 | SSW 3 | — | WSW 2 | — | NNE 3 | NW 6 | SW 3 | NE 3 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | 40 | 62 | 156 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 6 | 91 | 2 | 4 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 68 | 68 | 131 | 102 | 101 | 102 | 123 | 0 | 113 | 9 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 28 | 68 | 68 | 123 | 102 | 68 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - Tasman Bay | |||||||||||||||||||
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)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Inner Cut surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Inner Cut Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Inner Cut provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Inner Cut can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Inner Cut 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 (Inner Cut) 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 Inner Cut 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Nelson - Tasman Bay? If you are looking for accommodation near Inner Cut, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nelson - Tasman Bay, consider staying in Nelson which is 2 km (1 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Blenheim which is 64 km (40 miles) away
Nearest