Surf Forecasts:
Inner Cut surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NNW swell with 788 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with NNW 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 Saturday (Aug 22) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m 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 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Inner Cut over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, it’s a slow start. The first few days are a write-off, with nothing to get excited about. We’re looking at a gap of a few days with no real surf on offer. The water temperature is sitting at 53°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Things start to flicker to life on the morning of Sunday the 23rd of August at the Inner Cut (The-Cut-Nelson-Harbour). We’ve got a NNW swell pushing 5 ft, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 282. More importantly, the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the SSW. That’s a good sign, and the forecast is calling it "expect good surf conditions". This is a point break, and with a little bit of energy in the water, it should offer up some fun lines. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so you might have some company, but it’s not a circus. The optimum swell direction is from the NW, and this is coming from NNW, so it’s in the right ballpark. This is the standout for the first week, no doubt.
The following week throws up a couple of other interesting windows. The afternoon of Wednesday the 26th of August sees glassy conditions with a 4 ft NNW swell, but the energy is a bit lower at 106. Then on Thursday the 27th, the morning is glassy again with a 5 ft N swell and 206 energy. It’s surfable, but the conditions are described as "very ordinary", so it’s not the best of the bunch.
Now, the real long-range potential is the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September. This one is a bit of a tease. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the N, with a period of 10 seconds and a combined energy of 573 – that’s strong. The winds are glassy, and the forecast is saying "expect good surf conditions". It’s a promising one, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it. The afternoon is a write-off due to cross-onshore winds.
Overall, the Sunday the 23rd morning is your best bet. It’s the first real pulse of clean swell, and it’s close enough to trust. The Thursday the 3rd of September is the one to watch for the future, but it’s a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 6°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NW 15 | N 14 | N 16 | N 16 | N 15 | N 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | NW 6 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 45 | 355 | 277 | 137 | 67 | 29 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 28 | 106 | 191 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 3:08AM3.25m | 3:23PM3.24m | 4:11AM3.03m | 4:34PM3.07m | 5:30AM2.94m | 6:21PM3.05m | 6:49AM3.02m | 7:41PM3.22m | 7:49AM3.20m | 8:29PM3.45m | 8:36AM3.41m | 9:06PM3.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:33PM1.52m | 9:11AM1.50m | 9:52PM1.75m | 10:12AM1.67m | 11:30PM1.80m | 11:30AM1.74m | 00:46AM1.71m | 12:54PM1.66m | 1:42AM1.54m | 2:01PM1.43m | 2:26AM1.36m | 2:50PM1.15m | ||||||||
 |  | | | |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — |
 | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 15 | NW 4 | — | NW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | N 13 | — | NNW 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NNW 4 | NW 14 | — | — |
| kJ | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | 277 | 137 | 67 | 29 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 8 | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 14 | N 16 | N 16 | N 15 | N 4 | — | — | N 17 | N 18 | NW 16 | NW 16 | NW 16 | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | NW 15 | NW 14 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 6 | 10 | 64 | 62 | 22 | 23 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | N 6 | — | — | — | NW 15 | — | — | — | — | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | — | — | — | — | WSW 2 | WSW 3 | — | — | NW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | 355 | 769 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 28 | 106 | 191 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 102 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 2 | 118 | 0 | 118 | 101 | 21 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - Tasman Bay | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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
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