
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, S swell with 4,477 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Castlepoint - The Gap this week:
The surf forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Castlepoint - The Gap in the next 16 days are 4.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 9s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's size up the local breaks for the next couple of weeks. There's a bit of a mixed bag, but a few solid windows are on the cards.
The main action starts to kick up around Monday the 20th. We get a serious pulse of groundswell at Castlepoint - The Gap. Monday morning you're looking at clean, 7ft surf with a long 15-second period. The combined swell energy is a solid 2086, so plenty there. The water temp is around 55°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no surprises. The wind is light cross-off, making for some nice shape. This is one for the experienced crew at this size, and you can expect crowds to be a factor. The south swell direction works a treat for this sheltered spot.
That good energy sticks around through Tuesday the 21st with similar 7ft to 6ft south swell, still clean with light cross-off winds. Still a bit heavy for beginners, but there's plenty of power.
For the standout of the period, I'm calling out Thursday morning, the 30th of July. After a few days of messy, strong winds and a lot of big, blown-out swell, things clean up perfectly. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, and we get a 7ft south groundswell with a solid 14-second period. The combined energy is pumping at 2336. This is a true jewel – glassy conditions with a clean, powerful swell will set the stage for some epic barrels for the experienced surfers. This is the morning to be in the water.
Also worth a look on Monday, the 27th of July. There's a massive swell building, pushing up to about 10ft and even 15ft, but the wind is howling from the south-west for most of it. That'll make a mess of things, but by Monday afternoon the wind swings cross-off and the swell settles to a more manageable 8ft from the south-east with a 12-second period. The energy is massive at 2857. It'll be a raw, challenging session, but for the experts who don't mind a war, there could be some freight train sets.
After that first week of action, the second week turns pretty quiet and ordinary. From Thursday the 31st into the first week of August, the swell drops right off to around 3ft or less, and we get hammered by strong south-west winds most days, making it garbage for paddling. From the 1st of August onwards, it's basically flat and weak with howling winds. You'd be better off leaving the board in the car.
So overall, get in for the solid, clean groundswell on Monday the 20th through Tuesday the 21st, and definitely mark your calendar for that glassy Thursday, the 30th of July. That's the pick of the month.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 6°C on Sat night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 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) | S 15 | S 19 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSE 10 | S 9 | NNE 5 | NE 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SE 15 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1959 | 5224 | 3426 | 1733 | 1207 | 633 | 263 | 350 | 138 | 83 | 49 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 21 | 196 | 197 | 112 | 4104 | 4366 | 3499 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:55AM1.36m | 10:23PM1.36m | 10:46AM1.36m | 11:13PM1.33m | 11:36AM1.35m | 00:01AM1.29m | 12:26PM1.33m | 00:46AM1.26m | 1:14PM1.32m | 1:32AM1.22m | 1:59PM1.30m | 2:19AM1.18m | 2:41PM1.29m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:14PM0.01m | 4:42AM0.05m | 5:08PM0.07m | 5:30AM0.10m | 6:00PM0.13m | 6:15AM0.15m | 6:48PM0.18m | 6:58AM0.21m | 7:34PM0.22m | 7:39AM0.25m | 8:18PM0.25m | 8:21AM0.28m | 9:02PM0.27m | ||||||||
7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | |
— | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
Feels °C | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | -3 | -2 | -4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 19 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 9 | NE 5 | S 9 | NE 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 |
1959 | 5224 | 3426 | 1733 | 1207 | 633 | 263 | 350 | 138 | 83 | 49 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 196 | 197 | 112 | 208 | 197 | 352 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | S 11 | ESE 11 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | NE 4 | S 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | SE 16 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | E 11 | — |
127 | 123 | 115 | 69 | 70 | 47 | 112 | 22 | 45 | 40 | 21 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 28 | 62 | 46 | 40 | 21 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 11 | E 14 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 10 | ESE 11 | SW 8 | S 8 | ENE 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 4 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 57 | 53 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | N 2 | N 2 | NNW 3 | N 3 | NNE 5 | WNW 4 | — | NW 4 | SW 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
— | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 20 | — | 13 | 325 | 4104 | 4366 | 3499 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 76 | 169 | 169 | 25 | 99 | 0 | 25 | 228 | 278 | 158 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Wairarapa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Castlepoint - The Gap Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Castlepoint - The Gap provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Castlepoint - The Gap can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Castlepoint - The Gap 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 (Castlepoint - The Gap) 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 Castlepoint - The Gap 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 The Wairarapa? If you are looking for accommodation near Castlepoint - The Gap, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in The Wairarapa, consider staying in Masterton which is 48 km (30 miles) away. Other places in and around The Wairarapa where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Palmerston North which is 80 km (50 miles) away and Levin, 86 km (53 miles) away.










