
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 4,512 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. 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 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 3PM. 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 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, let's have a proper look at what's on the cards for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of moments that’ll get the blood pumping.
Right now, the early part of the week is just grim. We’ve got some chest-high swell around 5ft on Tuesday morning, coming out of the ESE with a short, weak 8-second period and cross-on junk from the SSE. The wave energy is a modest 491, and honestly, it’s just poor conditions. That carries through Tuesday afternoon as well – not worth paddling out for.
Wednesday morning looks a little better, with the swell dropping to 5ft from the ESE, but the wind goes glassy, which is a treat. The energy is still low at 323, and it’s only ordinary surf, but it’s clean enough for a beginner to get some practice on a longboard. Winds turn nasty in the arvo, though, so make the most of the morning.
Thursday has a small, clean bump – around 3ft in the morning, with a nice WNW offshore. It’s tiny, but the conditions are clean. After that, we hit a real flat spell from Friday morning right through until Sunday morning.
Alright, now for the standout. Sunday, 13th September, is the real deal. That morning we’ve got a solid 8ft SSW groundswell pumping in with a 16-second period and gentle WNW offshore winds. The wave energy is a meaty 2803, and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is a proper groundswell event, and at The Gap, that long period (over 15 seconds) is going to set up some beautiful, powerful lines. It might be a touch big for the beginners, but for anyone else, this is the session to circle. The Saturday afternoon before it also has a huge 13ft swell on the charts, but it’s a messy cross-on wind situation and the energy is through the roof at 6738 – that’s more of a beast for the experts, and with the wind, it’s likely a bit of a washing machine.
After that Sunday morning, the surf settles down. Monday the 14th still has a fun, clean 5ft SSW swell with a cross-off breeze – worth a paddle if you missed the weekend. Dusty conditions on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week see strong offshore winds blowing the tops off, making it hard to get in.
Later on, around Friday 18th September, we see another pulse of SSW swell, around 8ft, with more clean offshore wind. The energy is a solid 830, but the wind is a moderate offshore, so it’s clean and punchy. That could be a good option for the experienced crew again.
For the very end of the window, around the 22nd and 23rd, we’re back to tiny, clean slop under 3ft. Not much to write home about.
The Pick: No doubt about it, Sunday morning, 13th September is the standout. A solid 8ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period and glassy to gentle offshore wind. It’s a classic Castlepoint groundswell day. For a secondary option, keep an eye on Friday 18th September for another clean, punchy day in the 7ft range.
Right now the water temp is about average for this time of year, so you won't need a thick steamer yet.
Crowds at The Gap are often present, especially on a day like that Sunday, so get in early.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 7°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the NW by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu night, calm by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 7 | ESE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | S 6 | SSW 12 | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
233 | 385 | 498 | 435 | 284 | 277 | 191 | 81 | 47 | 75 | 274 | 254 | 170 | 165 | 4512 | 3919 | 2781 | 1753 | 961 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 1:41AM1.28m | 2:07PM1.45m | 2:39AM1.26m | 3:03PM1.43m | 3:37AM1.26m | 4:01PM1.41m | 4:34AM1.26m | 4:58PM1.38m | 5:30AM1.27m | 5:54PM1.34m | 6:25AM1.30m | 6:50PM1.31m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:48AM-0.07m | 8:22PM-0.05m | 8:45AM-0.07m | 9:18PM-0.01m | 9:44AM-0.06m | 10:17PM0.03m | 10:44AM-0.04m | 11:19PM0.07m | 11:43AM-0.01m | 00:17AM0.11m | 12:40PM0.03m | 1:11AM0.14m | |||||||
— | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 11 |
Feels °C | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ESE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SSW 19 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 |
233 | 385 | 498 | 435 | 284 | 277 | 191 | 81 | 47 | 31 | 274 | 79 | 27 | 146 | 2182 | 3919 | 2781 | 1753 | 961 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | ESE 7 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | ENE 13 | NE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 12 |
59 | 102 | 69 | 56 | 35 | 35 | 21 | 11 | 24 | 70 | 21 | 254 | 170 | 17 | 43 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 14 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | S 15 | SSW 13 | S 13 | E 15 | S 20 | S 19 | ENE 9 | S 8 | SSW 20 | ENE 8 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ENE 8 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 12 | NE 12 | ENE 8 |
34 | 4 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 75 | 7 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 6 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | N 4 | NW 3 | WNW 2 | S 4 | S 6 | — | — | S 6 | SSW 12 | — | WNW 4 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 4 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 209 | — | — | 165 | 4512 | — | 12 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 104 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 55 | 0 | 1 | 137 | 99 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Wairarapa | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.










