
Surf Forecasts:
Castlepoint - The Gap surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 23s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 19s period, S swell with 5,006 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 14s period with ESE 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 (Jul 18) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 12s. 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 2.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 23s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castlepoint - The Gap over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here.
Alright, let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Castlepoint - The Gap over the next couple of weeks. The big news is a solid, long-period swell arriving Saturday afternoon that’s going to be the standout of the whole forecast. The water temp is sitting at 55°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.
We kick off Friday morning, the 17th of July. The swell is a consistent 4 ft from the ESE with a 16-second period, and a west-northwest offshore breeze keeping things clean. The combined energy is strong at 1254, so there’s plenty of push. Friday afternoon sees a shift to a 5 ft southerly swell, still with offshore winds, but the energy jumps to 1983. Solid stuff.
Saturday morning, the 18th, holds at 4 ft from the ESE, clean with a moderate offshore, energy at 1235. But the real highlight is Saturday afternoon. The wind drops to glassy, and a 7 ft southerly swell rolls in with a 23-second period and a massive combined energy of 5203. This is a serious groundswell – that kind of period, over 15 seconds, means it’s going to be powerful and walled up. For a sheltered spot like The Gap, with an optimum direction from the ESE, a southerly will wrap in, and with that glassy surface, it’s going to be firing. This one is for experienced surfers only; that’s well over 8 ft potential on the sets.
Sunday the 19th keeps the goodness going. Morning sees a 6 ft SSW swell, 17-second period, with a light cross-offshore breeze making it clean. Energy is 2563. Sunday afternoon drops a touch to 6 ft, but the wind goes cross-shore, so it gets a bit bumpy.
Monday the 20th is a bit of a write-off. Onshore winds and a 6 ft swell just gets chopped up, and by the afternoon, an 8 ft swell with onshore wind is a messy, powerful beast for experts only.
Tuesday the 21st bounces back with a clean 7 ft swell in the morning and a 6 ft swell in the afternoon with a moderate offshore. Both solid.
From Wednesday the 22nd onwards, the swell really drops away. We get a 4 ft on Wednesday morning, then it’s a long stretch of small, weak surf. Combined energy drops below 500, and we’re looking at 2 ft to 3 ft swells for days. There’s a gap from about Wednesday afternoon through to the end of July where the recommendations are poor to ordinary.
There’s a little flicker of life on Sunday the 26th of July, with a 4 ft SE swell and a 14-second period, clean with offshore winds, but the energy is only 860 – it’s surfable but nothing special.
Another small spike on the 31st of July, with a 4 ft S swell and a moderate offshore, energy at 409, and then it fades again into the start of August.
Look, the one true standout is that Saturday afternoon, the 18th of July at Castlepoint - The Gap. Big groundswell, glassy conditions, and a sheltered spot – that’s the session to circle. The rest of the run is mostly small with a few clean days, but nothing else gets close to that Saturday afternoon.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 16 | S 15 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | S 23 | S 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 19 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | S 10 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
892 | 1074 | 818 | 682 | 4577 | 3303 | 2212 | 1512 | 1469 | 1568 | 4849 | 3123 | 1809 | 1155 | 713 | 432 | 359 | 253 | 85 | 117 | 81 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:34PM1.50m | 8:09AM1.35m | 8:32PM1.44m | 9:03AM1.36m | 9:29PM1.40m | 9:55AM1.36m | 10:23PM1.36m | 10:46AM1.36m | 11:13PM1.33m | 11:36AM1.35m | 00:01AM1.29m | 12:26PM1.33m | 00:46AM1.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:19PM-0.10m | 2:05AM-0.04m | 2:17PM-0.08m | 2:59AM-0.02m | 3:16PM-0.04m | 3:52AM0.01m | 4:14PM0.01m | 4:42AM0.05m | 5:08PM0.07m | 5:30AM0.10m | 6:00PM0.13m | 6:15AM0.15m | 6:48PM0.18m | ||||||||
7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | |
— | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 16 | S 15 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | S 23 | S 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 19 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 7 | S 10 | S 9 |
892 | 1074 | 818 | 682 | 4577 | 3303 | 2212 | 1512 | 1469 | 1568 | 4849 | 3123 | 1809 | 1155 | 713 | 432 | 359 | 253 | 66 | 117 | 80 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | ESE 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | S 20 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | S 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 |
276 | 909 | 500 | 343 | 626 | 479 | 351 | 286 | 187 | 377 | 123 | 87 | 69 | 48 | 40 | 22 | 11 | 14 | 47 | 68 | 81 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | — | — | SSW 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 13 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | NE 4 |
86 | — | — | 210 | — | — | — | — | — | 127 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | 85 | 57 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 4 | WNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 4 | SW 3 | — | — | NNE 2 | NNW 2 |
— | — | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 11 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 102 | 88 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 25 |
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.










