
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 7 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 11 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 11s period, SSE swell with 5,410 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 11 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period with ESE 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 Saturday (Jul 11) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.6m and 10s. 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 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 16ft (5.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. This is a tricky one for the Wairarapa coast. The data is telling me that Castlepoint - The Gap is the only game in town for the next 16 days, and honestly, it's going to be a battle to find a window.
For the first week and a half, it's a write-off. We're looking at a solid 10 days of pretty average to poor conditions starting Wednesday, July 8th. The wind is all over the place, mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore, and the swell is just messy. We've got a massive pulse of energy Wednesday, July 9th, with a combined energy of 5202, but that's a 16ft swell from the SSE with a near gale wind. That's insane, dangerous, and blown out – not for us. The whole first week is a no-go. The wind just won't play ball.
Then, we get a tiny glimmer. Sunday, July 12th, the morning looks clean. The wind is light and offshore from the NW, with a 3ft SSW groundswell pushing in at a long 14 seconds. The combined energy is only 568, so it's weak, but that clean, glassy look is a rare treat. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so don't expect a warm one. The Gap is a sheltered spot, so a south-southwest swell at 3ft with offshore wind will be a nice, clean little wave for a beginner. It won't be big, but it will be ridable.
Saturday morning, July 18th, also shows some promise. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the WSW, with a 3ft, 12-second swell from the ESE. The energy is weak at 392, but it's clean. It's a small, ordinary day, but it's surfable.
Now, the real standout is a long way off. Look at Tuesday, July 21st. We've got a massive 15ft SSW swell building with a 14-second period and a combined energy of 10477. That's huge. The wind is light from the SSW, but the note says it's predicted to be too big for this break. The Gap is a sheltered spot, and that much energy from the south is going to be a washing machine. The following morning, Wednesday, July 22nd, is the one to circle. The same 7ft S swell is still running, but the wind has switched to a light offshore from the NNW. The combined energy is 1433 – moderate but powerful. With clean conditions, that could be a fantastic session for an experienced surfer. The 7ft is a solid size, and at a sheltered spot like The Gap, it will be a proper wave. This is the one to wait for, but it's two weeks out, so keep your fingers crossed.
To sum it up: the first week is a write-off. A couple of clean but small windows pop up around July 12th and 18th. The real, high-quality potential is on the morning of Wednesday, July 22nd, with a solid 7ft south swell and clean offshore winds, but it's a long-range forecast, so don't plan your life around it just yet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 52mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue night, min 8°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Tue night, near gales from the S by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon afternoon, min 6°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tue 14 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | S 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2716 | 1175 | 802 | 2735 | 5202 | 2642 | 2697 | 1814 | 1634 | 1104 | 761 | 529 | 465 | 336 | 286 | 170 | 123 | 94 | 54 | 77 | 77 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:51PM1.23m | 11:10AM1.26m | 11:38PM1.27m | 11:59AM1.33m | 00:27AM1.31m | 12:51PM1.40m | 1:19AM1.33m | 1:45PM1.47m | 2:16AM1.35m | 2:41PM1.53m | 3:16AM1.36m | 3:37PM1.57m | 4:16AM1.36m | 4:35PM1.59m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:12AM0.15m | 5:24PM0.15m | 5:56AM0.13m | 6:15PM0.13m | 6:41AM0.11m | 7:07PM0.10m | 7:30AM0.09m | 8:02PM0.06m | 8:22AM0.06m | 8:59PM0.03m | 9:20AM0.03m | 9:59PM0.01m | 10:21AM-0.01m | ||||||||
— | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | |
— | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | |
mm | 5 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 |
Feels °C | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 16 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
2078 | 1175 | 802 | 774 | 258 | 2202 | 2697 | 1814 | 1634 | 1104 | 761 | 529 | 416 | 232 | 181 | 138 | 123 | 94 | 54 | 77 | 77 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SSW 13 | S 20 | SSW 18 | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | S 6 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | NE 5 |
88 | 102 | 7 | 30 | — | — | 143 | 127 | 155 | 93 | 78 | 50 | 465 | 336 | 286 | 170 | 74 | 49 | 8 | 8 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 21 | — | — | — | — | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 19 | S 18 | — | — | — | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 9 | E 14 |
120 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 73 | 101 | 212 | 80 | 192 | 304 | — | — | — | 84 | 42 | 18 | 34 | 6 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SSE 7 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNW 2 | NNE 3 | NNW 3 | — | NE 5 |
2716 | 512 | 645 | 2735 | 5202 | 2642 | 977 | 246 | 140 | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 18 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 76 | 66 | 137 | 156 | 228 | 310 | 278 | 102 | 102 | 135 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 28 |
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.











