Surf Forecasts:
Waihau Bay surf forecast from 18 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, WNW swell with 942 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period with N 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 8s period. 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 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Waihau Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri afternoon, fresh winds from the W by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 6°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Mon night, light winds from the S by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | N 7 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 4 | ESE 10 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 5 | N 9 | WNW 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 352 | 870 | 466 | 374 | 280 | 84 | 929 | 764 | 220 | 41 | 14 | 9 | 191 | 166 | 175 | 33 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 20 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 11:35AM1.58m | 11:50PM1.50m | 12:23PM1.52m | 00:39AM1.44m | 1:15PM1.47m | 1:31AM1.39m | 2:10PM1.44m | 2:28AM1.37m | 3:05PM1.45m | 3:24AM1.38m | 3:58PM1.48m | 4:18AM1.41m | 4:47PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:47PM0.41m | 6:05AM0.36m | 6:35PM0.47m | 6:54AM0.41m | 7:26PM0.51m | 7:46AM0.45m | 8:21PM0.53m | 8:40AM0.46m | 9:18PM0.52m | 9:34AM0.44m | 10:12PM0.47m | 10:27AM0.40m | 11:02PM0.40m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — |
 | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — |
mm | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 9 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 9 | NE 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | ESE 8 | W 5 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 |
| kJ | 65 | 870 | 466 | 374 | 280 | 84 | 37 | 31 | 220 | 41 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 175 | 33 | 14 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 11 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ENE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 10 | NE 10 | SE 13 | NE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 4 | WNW 6 | SE 10 | WNW 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 14 |
| kJ | 5 | 37 | 42 | 36 | 33 | 31 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SE 19 | — | — | E 15 | ESE 11 | ENE 9 | NE 10 | E 13 | E 10 | NE 10 | NE 12 | SE 8 | NW 6 | N 9 | W 4 | E 16 | SE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | 4 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | — | — | — | WNW 4 | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | — | — | W 4 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | — | — | W 5 | SE 3 | — | WNW 2 | NW 3 |
| kJ | 352 | — | — | — | 26 | 460 | 929 | 764 | — | — | 14 | 312 | 191 | 166 | — | — | 12 | 6 | — | 1 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 84 | 115 | 0 | 32 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 32 | 0 | 32 | 51 | 32 | 32 | 51 | 0 | 33 | 39 | 32 | 82 | 32 | 32 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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