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Surf Forecasts:
The Desert surfForecast / Wairarapa / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Wednesday 06 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
The Desert surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's The Desert sea temperature is
14.5° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Desert this week:
The surf forecast for The Desert over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 07) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Desert in the next 16 days are 6.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (May 11) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 7s period and expected on Saturday (May 09) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Thu 7th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Mon 11th May) | 21ft (6.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Mon 11th May) | 21ft (6.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Desert over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 20°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Wed night, strong winds from the NW by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Sat morning, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 6 | Thursday 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | Sunday 10 | Monday 11 | Tuesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 4 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | |
637 | 465 | 243 | 158 | 104 | 69 | 70 | 48 | 48 | 66 | 41 | 32 | 745 | 528 | 198 | 17280 | 16314 | 11604 | 10137 | 7092 | 4302 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | |
High Tide | 8:44PM1.54m | 9:15AM1.46m | 9:26PM1.52m | 9:54AM1.45m | 10:08PM1.50m | 10:33AM1.44m | 10:52PM1.50m | 11:12AM1.44m | 11:36PM1.51m | 11:55AM1.45m | 00:20AM1.53m | 12:41PM1.49m | 1:07AM1.56m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:32PM0.62m | 3:21AM0.55m | 3:14PM0.59m | 4:02AM0.50m | 3:55PM0.55m | 4:41AM0.47m | 4:35PM0.52m | 5:19AM0.44m | 5:16PM0.49m | 5:57AM0.43m | 5:57PM0.47m | 6:36AM0.44m | 6:42PM0.46m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — |
 | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:10 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
10 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 7 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SW 14 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
 kJ | 637 | 465 | 243 | 158 | 104 | 73 | 120 | 48 | 439 | 276 | 186 | 157 | 745 | 528 | 198 | 13428 | 16314 | 11604 | 10137 | 7092 | 4302 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | SSW 13 | NW 6 | S 10 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 6 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 |
| kJ | 28 | 52 | 33 | 15 | 21 | 69 | 39 | 2 | 48 | 66 | 55 | 171 | 418 | 379 | 247 | 197 | 157 | 263 | 126 | 158 | 149 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 5 | NE 6 | WNW 5 | ENE 9 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | — | — | SSW 17 | SW 13 | NW 4 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | — | ENE 15 | — | E 13 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | 8 | 15 | 28 | 10 | 70 | — | — | 28 | 41 | 5 | 58 | 82 | 123 | — | 73 | — | 55 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 5 | N 3 | NW 5 | NW 6 | N 3 | NNE 6 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | — | SSW 4 | — | NW 4 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 363 | 247 | 94 | 3 | 30 | 54 | 1 | 155 | 210 | 406 | — | 32 | — | 59 | 708 | 17280 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 18 | 79 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 133 | 132 | 79 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 134 | 74 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Wairarapa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 The Desert 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 The Desert Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Desert provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Desert can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Desert 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 (The Desert) 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 The Desert 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.
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