Napier – The Gap Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Hawkes Bay, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Napier - The Gap Surf Guide

The Gap(Napier) in Hawkes Bay is an exposed beach break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the southwest. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the northeast. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Best around low tide.

Napier - The Gap Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	1	fairly consistent	15.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Napier - The Gap:

The best conditions reported for surf at Napier - The Gap occur when a Northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Napier - The Gap (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Napier - The Gap with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 16% of the time in January while 22% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 62% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

16%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

22%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

62%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Napier - The Gap Location Map

Interactive Napier - The Gap surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Napier - The Gap is Taupo Airport (TUO) in New Zealand, 104 km (65 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Napier - The Gap is Gisborne Airport (GIS), also in New Zealand, 129 km (80 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Napier - The Gap Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 11:37 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE
Period (s)	8	8	8	8
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	cross- on	glass

Tides at Napier - The Gap

Current tide and informaton

For Napier, New Zealand, 6 km from Napier - The Gap.

Next High Water: 08:25pm | 1.65m

Next Low Water: 02:13pm | 0.46m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Napier - The Gap Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.9 °C) at Napier - The Gap is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (16.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 15.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite