
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 14 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 12s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with 3,288 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 12s 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 12s. 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 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for The Gap at Castlepoint. This is a sheltered spot that needs the right angle to work, and we’ve got a couple sessions that are gonna be worth paddling out for.
The water is sitting at 54° right now, which is about 1° cooler than normal for this time of year – just a touch on the fresh side.
We kick things off on Sunday, September 13. The morning is looking *real* good. Swell runs about 7 ft from the south, with a solid 14-second period. That’s proper groundswell, and the combined energy is pumping at 1614 – strong stuff. With a light W breeze blowing offshore, it’s gonna be clean. This is your best bet of the whole outlook. The Gap is fairly consistent and can get crowded often, so get in early for that Sunday morning session. By the afternoon the wind swings onshore and it gets messy, so dawn patrol is the move.
Monday, September 14 morning is another beauty. Swell drops a bit to 6 ft from the south, period still a nice 12 seconds (1088 combined energy), and we have glassy conditions with a light NNW breeze. That’s about as clean as it gets. This is your second standout window – a proper glassy session.
Tuesday, September 15 sees the swell drop to 4 ft (329 energy) with a shorter 10-second period. Morning is cross-offshore and clean, so it’s rideable but nothing special. Afternoon gets chopped.
From Wednesday, September 16 through Friday, September 18 morning, the surf drops right off. Tiny, weak swell under 3 ft, with combined energy barely hitting triple digits. It’s a real lull – best to stay home.
Friday, September 18 afternoon shows a small pulse: 3 ft from the SE, 12-second period (359 energy), and offshore WNW breeze making it clean. It’s surfable but very ordinary.
Saturday, September 19 ramps up. Morning brings 7 ft from the south (820 energy), but the period is only 7 seconds – that’s short-period wind swell, so not much push. Wind is offshore. Afternoon though? Glassy with 8 ft south swell and an 8-second period (1389 energy). It’s gonna be big and clean, but at 8 ft and short period, this is expert territory only. Be careful out there.
Sunday, September 20 onward, quality drops again. Some mid-period SSW swell but with onshore or cross winds, making for choppy, marginal conditions.
Monday, September 21 is small and weak.
Tuesday, September 22 brings nasty weather. A 34 mph SSW cross-wind with a 10 ft south swell but an 8-second period. That’s messy and dangerous – maybe one for the kite folk, not for paddling.
Finally, Wednesday, September 23 morning offers another strong contender. We have a 5 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period (1740 combined energy). That’s big, clean energy with a cross-offshore SW wind. This is a proper point-break style swell – long, powerful lines. With that long period it might race a bit, so mind the tide and positioning. This one’s worth a look if you can handle the wait between sets.
After that, the last days of September trickle down to small, weak, or wind-affected slop.
So bottom line: your best two windows are Sunday, September 13 morning (big, clean, solid groundswell) and Monday, September 14 morning (glassy and smooth). The Wednesday, September 23 morning is a promising long-range call, but keep an eye on it. The rest is mostly filler or wind-fest.
Stay salty.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, fresh winds from the WNW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SE 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | ESE 15 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | S 7 | S 8 | S 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1599 | 2338 | 1638 | 1083 | 902 | 515 | 320 | 198 | 45 | 21 | 33 | 33 | 48 | 66 | 144 | 326 | 287 | 228 | 453 | 893 | 412 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | off | off | off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:50PM1.31m | 7:19AM1.32m | 7:45PM1.29m | 8:11AM1.34m | 8:37PM1.28m | 8:59AM1.34m | 9:26PM1.27m | 9:46AM1.32m | 10:12PM1.25m | 10:31AM1.30m | 10:54PM1.23m | 11:15AM1.27m | 11:35PM1.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:40PM0.03m | 1:11AM0.14m | 1:36PM0.08m | 2:01AM0.17m | 2:31PM0.13m | 2:50AM0.20m | 3:25PM0.16m | 3:37AM0.22m | 4:14PM0.18m | 4:23AM0.23m | 5:00PM0.19m | 5:06AM0.23m | 5:43PM0.18m | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
— | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 15 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | S 8 |
1599 | 1226 | 1638 | 1083 | 902 | 515 | 320 | 198 | 45 | 21 | 17 | 33 | 13 | 39 | 144 | 326 | 287 | 228 | 147 | 184 | 412 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 13 | E 10 | SSW 15 | S 9 | SE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | NE 4 | S 5 | SSW 16 | NE 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
15 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 39 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 30 | 66 | 5 | 5 | 48 | 62 | 201 | 288 | 324 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 10 | — | — | E 11 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 4 | SE 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 9 | SSW 15 | NE 7 | NE 10 | SE 10 |
— | — | 4 | — | — | 2 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 33 | 18 | 48 | 2 | 21 | 53 | 17 | 44 | 19 | 24 | 108 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 13 | — | — | — | NNE 3 | N 3 | NE 3 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | NNE 6 | — | NE 4 | ENE 4 | WNW 3 | S 7 | S 8 | — |
— | 2338 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 7 | — | 6 | 7 | 3 | 453 | 893 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.










