Surf Forecasts:
Waihau Bay surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 7s period, NW swell with 555 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period with ESE swell.
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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Waihau Bay in the next 16 days are 2.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 31st Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Waihau Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Tue afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Tue afternoon, fresh winds from the NW by Thu night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 5°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Fri afternoon, light winds from the W by Mon morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NE 16 | NE 16 | NE 15 | NE 15 | NE 13 | W 5 | W 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 402 | 390 | 373 | 339 | 322 | 246 | 180 | 278 | 537 | 357 | 367 | 236 | 139 | 40 | 38 | 34 | 34 | 28 | 71 | 119 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:58PM1.55m | 6:08AM1.48m | 6:42PM1.60m | 6:53AM1.51m | 7:24PM1.64m | 7:37AM1.53m | 8:05PM1.67m | 8:19AM1.55m | 8:44PM1.69m | 9:01AM1.57m | 9:22PM1.70m | 9:42AM1.58m | 10:01PM1.70m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:08AM0.45m | 12:22PM0.32m | 00:55AM0.41m | 1:07PM0.28m | 1:40AM0.36m | 1:49PM0.26m | 2:22AM0.31m | 2:31PM0.24m | 3:03AM0.28m | 3:12PM0.24m | 3:43AM0.25m | 3:53PM0.25m | ||||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — |
 | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 11 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | SE 10 | W 4 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 7 |
| kJ | 402 | 390 | 373 | 339 | 322 | 246 | 180 | 167 | 128 | 128 | 59 | 236 | 139 | 35 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 27 | 21 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | — | — | N 9 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 19 | NE 18 | E 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | NE 15 | SE 10 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 |
| kJ | 4 | — | — | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 22 | 26 | 34 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | — | — | — | — | S 18 | — | NE 19 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 18 | NE 17 | NE 17 | NE 16 | NE 16 | NW 6 | NE 15 | — | SE 12 | SE 10 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 14 | 5 | 5 | 49 | 47 | 45 | 40 | 38 | 6 | 34 | — | 6 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | SW 5 | SSE 10 | SW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | — | W 4 | W 5 | W 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 59 | 278 | 537 | 357 | 367 | 16 | 56 | 7 | 12 | 10 | — | 12 | 71 | 119 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 32 | 51 | 51 | 84 | 76 | 51 | 66 | 32 | 0 | 33 | 32 | 293 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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