
Surf Forecasts:
Tuhawaiki Point surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s period, SE swell with 869 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tuhawaiki Point this week:
The surf forecast for Tuhawaiki Point over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 30) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tuhawaiki Point in the next 16 days are 1.4m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 10s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 01) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tuhawaiki Point over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the stretch ahead for Tuhawaiki Point.
First off, the next few days are a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a small, inconsistent swell struggling to get organised, and the wind is swinging around in the wrong direction. Wednesday afternoon is a non-starter – tiny short-period swell with a cross-onshore breeze. Thursday and Friday don’t offer much more: the swell is small, and the wind is messy. You’d be gambling on a couple of knee-high, weak waves, and that’s about it. There’s a real gap here from now until the weekend.
Then Saturday the 1st of August starts to show some life. The swell picks up to 5ft on Saturday morning, coming from the SE with a moderate 11-second period. The combined energy is moderate (645). The wind is cross-off, so the waves will be clean, but the tide or some other factor has the conditions labelled as marginal. The afternoon eases back to 4ft, still clean, but again, not quite firing on all cylinders.
The real standout of this whole window is Monday afternoon, the 3rd of August. The swell is 4ft from the SSE, with a solid 14-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is strong (726). And the wind? It’s glassy. A light, offshore breeze from the ENE. That’s the kind of session you wait for. The point break at Tuhawaiki will handle that long-period swell well, offering clean, lined-up waves. The crowd factor is “sometimes” here, so you could have it fairly quiet. That’s my pick of the bunch.
The Tuesday morning after that, the 4th of August, is also a strong option. Offshore wind from the W, with the swell holding at 5ft from the SE, 13-second period. The energy is still strong (623). It’ll be clean and punchy, a great follow-up to Monday.
Then there’s a bit of a lull through the middle of the week, with the wind turning onshore and making a mess of things. But look at the 6th of August – Thursday morning. It’s glassy again, with a 5ft swell from the ESE, 13-second period. The energy is very strong (857). That morning session is another top-tier call, but the afternoon brings a bigger jump in size – 8ft from the SE – which is pushing into expert territory, and the wind swings cross-shore, so it won’t be as clean.
From the 7th onwards, the swell drops off dramatically. The 9th and 10th are tiny, with energy barely registering. The 11th and 12th are flat as a pancake – a 0.3ft swell with next to no energy. There’s a pulse of long-period energy on the 13th (4ft, 11 seconds from the E), but the wind is cross-on, killing the quality.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a slow burner, but Monday 3rd August afternoon and Tuesday 4th August morning are the absolute standouts for clean, quality waves. The 6th of August morning is also a cracker. After that, the second week looks pretty grim, with long stretches of flat, poor conditions. It’s a classic winter pattern – wait for the windows, and when they come, you paddle out.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed afternoon, min 5°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Fri night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun afternoon, min 5°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
273 | 198 | 147 | 107 | 121 | 40 | 44 | 573 | 627 | 361 | 555 | 367 | 232 | 137 | 850 | 701 | 869 | 623 | 471 | 315 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | off | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 3:19PM2.10m | 3:10AM2.14m | 3:57PM2.10m | 3:52AM2.10m | 4:34PM2.08m | 4:41AM2.06m | 5:13PM2.06m | 5:32AM2.04m | 5:56PM2.02m | 6:21AM2.04m | 6:43PM1.98m | 7:10AM2.05m | 7:32PM1.95m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:31PM0.73m | 9:48AM0.68m | 10:13PM0.70m | 10:30AM0.67m | 10:55PM0.67m | 11:16AM0.64m | 11:36PM0.66m | 12:04PM0.59m | 00:18AM0.66m | 12:50PM0.56m | 1:02AM0.67m | 1:35PM0.57m | 1:48AM0.69m | |||||||
— | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | |
5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Feels °C | 12 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 4 | -6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 |
273 | 198 | 147 | 107 | 121 | 40 | 44 | 573 | 627 | 361 | 555 | 367 | 232 | 137 | 850 | 701 | 869 | 623 | 471 | 315 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SE 16 | SE 16 | S 14 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | SE 15 | E 10 | SE 13 | E 17 | E 16 | S 23 | SSE 19 | SE 12 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — |
24 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 59 | 18 | 142 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 36 | 86 | 21 | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | SSW 14 | S 16 | — | S 18 | SE 16 | ESE 16 | — | — | E 10 | — | — | S 14 | — | E 15 | E 15 | — | — | — | — |
4 | 66 | 20 | — | 6 | 10 | 24 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 4 | — | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 5 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | — | S 3 | S 10 | S 11 | — | — | — | — | — | S 8 | S 12 | S 13 | — | — | — |
— | — | 4 | 2 | 64 | — | 6 | 2091 | 2770 | — | — | — | — | — | 997 | 2972 | 3602 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 151 | 219 | 163 | 149 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tuhawaiki Point Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tuhawaiki Point provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tuhawaiki Point can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tuhawaiki Point 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 (Tuhawaiki Point) 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 Tuhawaiki Point 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.
Tuhawaiki Point is 5 km (3 miles) from the city of Timaru. If you plan a holiday in Canterbury, look for hotels and other accommodation in Timaru. Timaru has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










