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Surf Forecasts:
Waihau Bay surfForecast / East Cape / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Sunday 03 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Waihau Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Waihau Bay sea temperature is
18.7° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Waihau Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Waihau Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (May 04) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Waihau Bay in the next 16 days are 3.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (May 09) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Sunday (May 10) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Mon 4th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Mon 4th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 9th May) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Waihau Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Wed afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 3 | Monday 4 | Tuesday 5 | Wednesday 6 | Thursday 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 10 | N 6 | N 6 | NNW 6 | NE 7 | NE 8 | N 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 7 | |
30 | 35 | 52 | 65 | 82 | 82 | 86 | 92 | 65 | 96 | 68 | 92 | 64 | 44 | 53 | 59 | 119 | 545 | 1162 | 502 | 234 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross | cross | |
High Tide | 8:02PM1.68m | 8:13AM1.60m | 8:42PM1.68m | 8:54AM1.58m | 9:23PM1.66m | 9:35AM1.54m | 10:04PM1.62m | 10:16AM1.50m | 10:46PM1.58m | 10:59AM1.45m | 11:30PM1.55m | 11:44AM1.41m | 00:15AM1.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:14AM0.32m | 2:27PM0.23m | 2:56AM0.33m | 3:08PM0.25m | 3:38AM0.36m | 3:49PM0.29m | 4:20AM0.39m | 4:31PM0.33m | 5:04AM0.42m | 5:14PM0.36m | 5:49AM0.45m | 5:58PM0.40m | 6:36AM0.46m | ||||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 |
 | 5:19 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:13 | — | 5:12 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 4 | 17 | 12 | — | |
Temp °C | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 16 |
15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 12 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NNE 6 | E 10 | ENE 7 | N 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | E 10 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 7 |
 kJ | 30 | 35 | 52 | 65 | 82 | 82 | 86 | 92 | 65 | 36 | 68 | 70 | 64 | 44 | 53 | 59 | 32 | 17 | 1162 | 502 | 234 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | ENE 10 | N 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | — | E 10 | NE 8 | NE 8 |
| kJ | 15 | 24 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 96 | 2 | 29 | 59 | 27 | 15 | 8 | 16 | — | 7 | 99 | 55 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | N 12 | N 12 | S 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | N 10 | — | N 12 | E 9 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 14 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 3 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 5 | — | NNE 6 | N 6 | — | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | N 6 | NNW 7 | — | — | WSW 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | 68 | 92 | — | 43 | 50 | 36 | 119 | 545 | — | — | 26 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 51 | 76 | 110 | 84 | 76 | 32 | 115 | 115 | 121 | 116 | 51 | 51 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Waihau Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Waihau Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Waihau Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Waihau Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Waihau Bay 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 (Waihau Bay) 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 Waihau Bay 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.
Waihau Bay is 92 km (57 miles) from Whakatane. If you plan a holiday in East Cape, look for hotels and other accommodation in Whakatane. Whakatane has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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