Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, NE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, S swell with 1,176 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period with NE 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 (Aug 15) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s. 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 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) 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 1.5m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sun 16th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s going on at The Gap.
Right, it’s a pretty slow start for Castlepoint – The Gap. Honestly, for the first week or so, things look rough. There’s a big gap from now until around the 18th where the conditions are just no good. Lots of messy wind, cross-shore chop, and we’re not getting any clean swell to work with. You’d be wasting your time.
Things start to get interesting around Wednesday the 19th of August. We’ve got a long-period groundswell rolling in from the S, 15 seconds, and the morning sees a cross-off wind. The swell’s around 4ft, nothing huge, but that long period and clean wind means it’s gonna shape up nicely. Wave energy is strong, clocking in at 1105, so there’s some real push behind it. The water temp is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 53°F – you’ll want a good hood.
Now, the real standout here if you’re after something bigger is Thursday the 20th of August. Still that strong S groundswell, 14 seconds, with swell averaging 8ft in the morning. Winds are light and just cross, so it’s not glassy but it’s workable. The energy is very strong at 2379. Just a heads-up: that over 8ft mark, this is only going to be for the experts. The direction is S, which is close to the optimum ESE, meaning it’s gonna wrap in a bit but won’t be perfect. For the right crew, it’s the pick of the run.
Friday the 21st of August morning is a real treat. The swell has dropped back to 6ft from the S with a 12-second period, and we’ve got glassy conditions – a W wind at just 3 mph. That’s as clean as it gets. Wave energy is still moderate to strong at 932. This is the one for the intermediate crew who want clean, lined-up waves without the heavy juice.
After that, the second week tails off. The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd has clean cross-off winds but the swell drops right down to 4ft from the SSE. Surfable but nothing to get excited about. By the 24th and 25th, we’re back into onshore chop and heavy rain so it’s time to hang up the board for a bit.
So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The action starts midweek from the 19th, with Thursday 20th August the biggest for experts, and Friday 21st August morning the cleanest for the rest of us.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri morning, min 6°C on Sun morning). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | E 9 | S 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 589 | 452 | 285 | 119 | 117 | 155 | 114 | 80 | 190 | 97 | 198 | 285 | 316 | 207 | 138 | 499 | 1152 | 949 | 459 | 320 | 312 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:19PM1.51m | 3:56AM1.29m | 4:17PM1.50m | 4:54AM1.29m | 5:16PM1.47m | 5:52AM1.29m | 6:15PM1.43m | 6:49AM1.30m | 7:13PM1.39m | 7:45AM1.32m | 8:10PM1.35m | 8:38AM1.34m | 9:04PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:37PM-0.03m | 10:00AM-0.07m | 10:39PM-0.01m | 11:01AM-0.09m | 11:43PM0.00m | 12:00PM-0.08m | 00:43AM0.02m | 12:59PM-0.06m | 1:39AM0.04m | 1:57PM-0.02m | 2:32AM0.06m | 2:55PM0.03m | |||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | |  |  | |  | |  | | |
 | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 6 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | -2 | -2 | -2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | ESE 7 | SE 9 | ESE 14 | E 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 482 | 452 | 285 | 119 | 117 | 155 | 114 | 80 | 82 | 57 | 21 | 18 | 316 | 207 | 138 | 145 | 161 | 149 | 224 | 320 | 160 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSW 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | ESE 7 | SE 10 | ESE 14 | SSW 15 | ESE 13 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 227 | 72 | 69 | 43 | 75 | 70 | 22 | 31 | 48 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 99 | 62 | 68 | 68 | 37 | 304 | 288 | 192 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 16 | SW 12 | S 12 | ESE 11 | SE 15 | S 9 | ESE 13 | SE 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SE 8 | ESE 11 | SSW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | ESE 12 | SSW 15 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 13 |
| kJ | 18 | 19 | 6 | 23 | 45 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 36 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 11 | 106 | 93 | 144 | 15 | 71 | 36 | 33 | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 8 | — | NE 6 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 7 |
| kJ | 589 | — | 2 | 37 | 57 | 39 | 33 | 41 | 190 | 97 | 198 | 285 | — | — | — | 499 | 1152 | 949 | 459 | 259 | 312 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 55 | 106 | 104 | 28 | 28 | 88 | 28 | 28 | 55 | 88 | 88 | 158 | 137 | 228 | 169 | 102 | 102 | 273 | 156 |
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.
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