
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, S swell with 4,682 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 10 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with SSE 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 Monday (Aug 10) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore 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 Saturday (Aug 15) 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 0.6m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 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 have a look at what's on the cards for The Gap at Castlepoint.
Right off the bat, the water’s a bit colder than usual for this time of year, sitting at 53°F, about a degree below what you’d expect. It’s a slow start, with nothing really happening for Sunday afternoon. You’d be wasting your time paddling out.
The first real glimmer of hope is Monday morning. It’s not big, with a 3ft swell out of the SSE and a 10-second period, but the key thing is the wind is blowing straight offshore from the W at 9 mph. That’ll clean it right up, making for some fun, tidy little waves. The energy is modest (163), so it’s not going to bowl you over, but it’s a good chance to get wet. The main standout, though, is much further out.
Keep your eyes on Saturday the 15th. The afternoon session looks like a beast. The swell jumps to a solid 15ft out of the S with a long 10-second period. The wave energy is massive (3849), and the wind is dead glassy – zero knots. This is a proper groundswell. The setup looks incredible, but honestly, those heights are way too big for this spot. Only experts need apply, and even then, with a 15ft swell, you'd have to know what you're doing.
The crazy run continues into Sunday the 16th morning with a 13ft S swell and a longer 11-second period, but 25 mph cross-off winds will make it a battle. Monday the 17th looks even bigger on paper, with a 16ft S swell and a 12-second period, but the wind is a messy cross-shore. It’s a lot of water moving around, but the quality is shot for paddling. Honestly, with that much wind and swell, it might be more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle-surfing one.
After that big blow, things settle down. The morning of Wednesday the 19th looks like a great little window: a 5ft S swell, a 9-second period, and light offshore WNW winds at 6 mph. The energy is solid (672) and it’ll be clean. That’s your pick for the second week.
The run of ordinary conditions stretches from Thursday the 20th right through to the end of the outlook on Monday the 24th. There’s chest-high swell around, but the winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making a mess of it. It’s a long gap of nothing special.
All up, the best of the forecast comes from Saturday the 15th for the expert crew, and a solid, clean session on Monday the 10th and again on Wednesday the 19th if you want something more manageable. The rest is a waiting game.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sun night, light winds from the E by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Fri morning, light winds from the NE by Sat morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSW 8 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | ENE 6 | ESE 9 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ESE 8 | ENE 10 | SSW 7 | S 10 | S 11 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
206 | 180 | 140 | 124 | 245 | 660 | 499 | 270 | 142 | 77 | 124 | 205 | 233 | 186 | 243 | 218 | 295 | 717 | 3276 | 4546 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:57AM1.31m | 2:22PM1.51m | 2:56AM1.30m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:45PM-0.01m | 8:04AM-0.02m | 8:39PM-0.03m | 9:00AM-0.05m | 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 | |||||||
— | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | |
5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
Temp °C | 14 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 12 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | E 7 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 7 | ESE 8 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 12 |
108 | 180 | 140 | 124 | 175 | 562 | 499 | 270 | 142 | 65 | 124 | 205 | 38 | 40 | 243 | 218 | 295 | 527 | 573 | 347 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SE 12 | SE 9 | SE 11 | S 16 | SW 12 | S 16 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 17 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ENE 7 | ESE 9 | S 22 | — | S 21 |
206 | 18 | 11 | 75 | 41 | 189 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 77 | 74 | 47 | 6 | 35 | 21 | 62 | 166 | 9 | — | 218 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | E 13 | E 12 | NE 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | NE 6 | E 11 | ESE 12 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | S 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 9 | ESE 14 | — | — | — |
31 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 26 | 24 | 8 | 19 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 8 | S 9 | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 7 | S 10 | S 11 |
— | 4 | 2 | 4 | 245 | 660 | — | — | 27 | 71 | 70 | 96 | 233 | 186 | — | — | 3 | 717 | 3276 | 4546 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 74 | 0 | 66 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 28 | 104 | 28 | 28 | 88 | 28 | 88 | 102 | 102 | 55 | 1 | 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.











