Waihau Bay 48 hour detailed Surf Forecast

Lat Long: 37.62° S 177.94° E

Issued: 11 pm 17 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in hr min

Today's Waihau Bay sea temperature is

16.5° C

Waihau Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Surf Forecasts:

How big are the waves at Waihau Bay today (18 Jul):

Morning surf: Morning surf (18 Jul, local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period with ESE swell.
Afternoon surf: Afternoon surf (18 Jul, local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s period with ESE swell.
Evening surf: Evening surf (18 Jul, local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s period with ESE swell.

The current surf forecast for Waihau Bay at 5AM is: 0.9m 15s primary swell from a East-southeast direction and 0.1m 10s secondary swell from a Northeast direction, 0.6m 5s secondary swell from a West direction (forecast issued at 11:00pm July 17). The wind direction is predicted to be cross-offshore and the swell rating is 2.

Time (NZST) & Date	Wave Height	Wave Period
Morning (18 Jul)	2.5ft (0.8m)	14s
Afternoon (18 Jul)	2.5ft (0.7m)	14s
Evening (18 Jul)	2.5ft (0.7m)	14s

Table - waves today at Waihau Bay. (Swell directed towards the surf break)

	Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 8°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.
		Saturday 18								Sunday 19
	9 PM	12 AM	3 AM	6 AM	9 AM	12 PM	3 PM	6 PM	9 PM	12 AM	3 AM	6 AM	9 AM	12 PM	3 PM	6 PM	9 PM
Rating (10 max)	2	2	2	2	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	1
Swell Height Map See all maps
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s)	ESE 15	ESE 15	ESE 15	ESE 15	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 13	W 6	ESE 13	ESE 13	ESE 13	ESE 13	ESE 12
Wave Graph
kJ	344	339	339	272	268	261	178	173	170	166	158	125	116	114	113	108	59
Wind (km/h)	SE	S	SW	WSW	WSW	WSW	W	WSW	WSW	SW	WSW	SW	SW	WSW	NE	SE	S
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy	glassy	glassy	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-off	cross-on	glassy	off
High Tide	9:00PM1.95m					9:23AM1.77m				9:51PM1.91m				10:17AM1.73m
Low Tide				3:21AM0.06m				3:36PM0.03m				4:13AM0.07m				4:28PM0.10m


	—	—	—	7:18	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	7:18	—	—	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—	—	5:09	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	5:10	—	—
mm	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Temp °C	11	11	10	9	10	12	12	11	10	9	9	8	10	13	13	12	11
Feels °C	10	10	8	6	6	7	8	7	6	4	4	3	6	10	11	11	9
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s)	ESE 15	ESE 15	ESE 15	ESE 15	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 14	ESE 13	ESE 13	ESE 13	ESE 13	WNW 6	WNW 5	WNW 5
kJ	344	339	339	272	268	261	178	173	170	166	158	116	116	114	52	30	15
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s)	WNW 5	WNW 4	WNW 4	NE 10	NE 10	NE 9	N 9	N 9	SE 23	SE 23	SE 22	SE 23	SE 23	SE 23	ESE 13	ESE 13	ESE 12
kJ	8	8	12	4	4	3	2	2	21	20	20	21	21	20	113	108	59
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s)	NE 9	NE 10	NE 10	—	—	—	—	—	N 9	N 9	N 9	N 9	N 9	N 9	SE 22	N 9	ESE 4
kJ	3	4	4	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	2	2	2	2	19	2	2
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s)	—	—	—	W 5	W 4	W 5	W 5	W 5	W 6	W 6	W 6	W 6	W 6	W 6	—	SE 3	SE 4
kJ	—	—	—	15	25	41	51	100	100	100	116	125	89	60	—	2	7
Nearest Offshore or Glassy	Waihau Bay East Cape	Waihau Bay East Cape	Waihau Bay East Cape	Waihau Bay East Cape	Waiapu River East Cape	Waiapu River East Cape	Waiapu River East Cape	Hicks Bay East Cape	Hicks Bay East Cape	Hicks Bay East Cape	Hicks Bay East Cape	Hicks Bay East Cape	Hicks Bay East Cape	Waihau Bay East Cape	Papatea Bay East Cape	Waihau Bay East Cape	Waihau Bay East Cape
Rating (10 max)	2	2	2	2	4	3	3	2	3	3	2	2	2	1	1	1	1
Distance (km)	0	0	0	0	51	51	51	32	32	32	32	32	32	0	9	0	0
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Tolaga Bay	Tolaga Bay	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Loisell's	Tolaga Bay	Papatea Bay	Three Points	Three Points
Rating (10 max)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	4	4	1	4	4
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand	Otago Peninsula - Pipikaretu Otago	Otago Peninsula - Pipikaretu Otago	Blaketown Wedge West Coast South Island	Blaketown Wedge West Coast South Island	Blaketown Wedge West Coast South Island	Mangamaunu Kaikoura and Marlborough	White Rock - The Spit Wairarapa	Shingles West Coast South Island	Shingles West Coast South Island	White Rock - The Spit Wairarapa	White Rock - The Spit Wairarapa	Papatowai Catlins	Papatowai Catlins	Papatowai Catlins	Papatowai Catlins	Papatowai Catlins	Papatowai Catlins
Rating (10 max)	4	4	4	4	4	5	9	5	5	7	6	6	9	6	7	7	7
Header Global	Easter Reef Australia	Dunedin - Kuri Bush New Zealand	Dunedin - Kuri Bush New Zealand	Dunedin - Bobs Beach New Zealand	Dunedin - Bobs Beach New Zealand	Seconds (White Rock) New Zealand	Seconds (White Rock) New Zealand	Seconds (White Rock) New Zealand	Seconds (White Rock) New Zealand	Seconds (White Rock) New Zealand	Seconds (White Rock) New Zealand	Papatowai New Zealand	Papatowai New Zealand	Papatowai New Zealand	Papatowai New Zealand	Papatowai New Zealand	Papatowai New Zealand
Rating (10 max)	5	6	7	6	6	9	9	9	8	7	6	6	9	6	7	7	7

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

Latest Updates

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Waihau Bay 48 hour detailed Surf Forecast

How big are the waves at Waihau Bay today (18 Jul):

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