Surf Forecasts:
The Fences surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, W swell with 1,916 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Fences this week:
The surf forecast for The Fences over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Fences in the next 16 days are 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Fences over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WSW 15 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 350 | 183 | 110 | 71 | 94 | 319 | 252 | 123 | 277 | 1375 | 1192 | 1473 | 809 | 636 | 653 | 587 | 507 | 243 | 267 | 459 | 548 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:51PM1.95m | 3:13AM1.85m | 3:49PM1.80m | 4:21AM1.71m | 5:11PM1.71m | 5:55AM1.67m | 6:46PM1.76m | 7:22AM1.77m | 7:55PM1.91m | 8:19AM1.92m | 8:41PM2.09m | 9:01AM2.09m | 9:18PM2.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:46PM0.80m | 9:13AM0.84m | 9:54PM0.96m | 10:39AM0.97m | 11:47PM1.01m | 12:31PM0.96m | 1:20AM0.91m | 1:44PM0.82m | 2:16AM0.74m | 2:32PM0.64m | 2:57AM0.54m | 3:10PM0.46m | |||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 18 | S 9 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 7 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | 350 | 183 | 110 | 71 | 94 | 44 | 21 | 21 | 69 | 53 | 61 | 2 | 397 | 636 | 522 | 339 | 186 | 111 | 267 | 108 | 69 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | S 11 | S 10 | WSW 15 | S 9 | S 7 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | WSW 14 | S 9 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 60 | 39 | 36 | 23 | 29 | 53 | 40 | 35 | 20 | 8 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 97 | 56 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 75 | 2 | 14 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | S 11 | S 16 | S 16 | S 14 | — | — | W 20 | WSW 19 | W 20 | S 10 | — | S 17 | — | — | — | S 15 | S 15 | S 9 | S 14 | S 8 |
| kJ | 26 | 10 | 21 | 45 | 37 | — | — | 7 | 36 | 8 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 14 | W 3 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | NNW 4 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 202 | 6 | 19 | 27 | 57 | 319 | 252 | 123 | 277 | 1375 | 1192 | 1473 | 809 | 507 | 653 | 587 | 507 | 243 | 23 | 459 | 548 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 169 | 7 | 7 | 180 | 7 | 196 | 196 | 165 | 105 | 169 | 7 | 176 | 176 | 7 | 7 | 84 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wanganui and the Manawatu | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Fences 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 Fences Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Fences provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Fences can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Fences 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 Fences) 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 Fences 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 Wanganui and the Manawatu? If you are looking for accommodation near TheFences, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Wanganui and the Manawatu, consider staying in Wanganui which is 32 km (20 miles) away. Other places in and around Wanganui and the Manawatu where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Palmerston North which is 96 km (60 miles) away and Levin, 99 km (61 miles) away.
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