
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SE swell with 4,264 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period with E 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 07) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 2.5m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 9s is also forecast. 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 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Castlepoint – The Gap over the next couple weeks.
First off, there’s a lot of wind and messy junk early on. Water temp is about normal for this time of year – nothing weird. The real gem is later, but we’ve gotta sit through some poor conditions first.
Tuesday (July 7th) and Wednesday (July 8th) are nothing special – onshore and cross-shore winds, lumpy chop, marginal surf. Thursday (July 9th) and Friday (July 10th) get bigger, but with strong cross-onshore winds and rain, it’s a mess. You’d be better off kite surfing than paddling if you’re into that. Saturday (July 11th) still has cross-onshore wind – skip it.
Then Sunday morning (July 12th) the wind finally turns light offshore from the WNW, and the swell cleans up to 1.6m from the ESE with a 10-second period. Combined energy is moderate at 658 – a nice little window for a beginner-friendly wave. The break is sheltered, so that offshore breeze will glass it up. Crowds are often, so expect company – but for a Sunday morning with clean conditions, it’s worth it.
After that, Monday (13th) and Tuesday (14th) drop off in size and quality. Wednesday (15th) and Thursday (16th) see a long-period groundswell (14 seconds) but only 1.2m to 1.3m. Thursday afternoon (July 16th) has a light offshore from the WNW – clean but small. Not a standout, but a fun option if you’re local.
Now, the big news: Saturday, July 18th and Sunday, July 19th are huge – 4.5m from the SSE with very strong combined energy (over 4000 to 8000). But the guidance says it’s too big for this break. That’s expert-only, and even then the wind is cross-off, so it’s clean but monstrous. More of a show than a session.
The absolute best is Monday, July 20th morning. You’ve got a 3.0m SE groundswell with a 12-second period, light offshore breeze from the NNW, and clean conditions. Combined energy is 3208 – that’s powerful stuff. The guidance gives it an excellent rating for experienced surfers. Circle that date. Crowds are likely at The Gap, but with that size and direction, it’ll be a proper session for those who can handle it.
Tuesday (21st) and Wednesday (22nd) drop back to fun size – 1.9m to 2.5m with clean or light cross-shore winds. Not a standout, but a decent follow-up.
Overall, there’s a long stretch of poor surf from July 7th through 11th, then a small clean window on the 12th, then a long wait until the 20th for the real standout. That Monday morning is the one to chase.
Stay stoked,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 59mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon night, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue afternoon, near gales from the S by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu night, min 8°C on Fri afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSE on Thu night, calm by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Mon 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
971 | 1164 | 1035 | 2642 | 1160 | 890 | 1935 | 1520 | 3328 | 4264 | 2291 | 1730 | 992 | 1701 | 981 | 586 | 443 | 355 | 232 | 201 | 201 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:04PM1.20m | 10:24AM1.20m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:28AM0.16m | 4:34PM0.17m | 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 | ||||||||
— | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | |
— | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | |
mm | 8 | 7 | 1 | — | 9 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 9 | E 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 |
679 | 859 | 1035 | 1972 | 1160 | 890 | 1393 | 603 | 44 | 63 | 2291 | 1730 | 992 | 1701 | 981 | 586 | 443 | 355 | 232 | 201 | 201 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 13 | E 10 | S 12 | SSW 21 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | S 7 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 10 | S 10 |
116 | 137 | 129 | 105 | 104 | 62 | 873 | 72 | 45 | 73 | 96 | 186 | 73 | 41 | 59 | 324 | 215 | 192 | 168 | 53 | 48 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 21 | — | — | — | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | S 7 | — | — | — | SSW 13 | — |
102 | 85 | 84 | 120 | 102 | 7 | 31 | 84 | 45 | — | — | — | 77 | 71 | 158 | 22 | — | — | — | 31 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | E 9 | — | E 10 | — | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 9 | SSW 8 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | N 3 | NNW 2 | NNE 3 |
971 | 1164 | — | 2642 | — | 736 | 1935 | 1520 | 3328 | 4264 | 1033 | 497 | 600 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 99 | 55 | 99 | 0 | 1 | 74 | 74 | 169 | 284 | 310 | 102 | 273 | 102 | 76 | 135 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 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.











