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Surf Forecasts:

Waihau Bay surfForecast / East Cape / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 am Sunday 18 Jan 2026 NZDT
Forecast 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
21.4° C
 (Which is 1.4°C warmer than normal for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Waihau Bay this week:

The surf forecast for Waihau Bay over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jan 18) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Waihau Bay in the next 12 days are 7.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jan 23) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Jan 18) at 10PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Sun 18th Jan)2.5ft (0.8m) 8s
Best Surf10PM (Thu 22nd Jan)20ft (6.0m) 11s
Most Powerful 4AM (Fri 23rd Jan)23ft (7.0m) 12s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Waihau Bay over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Heavy rain (total 115mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Thu morning, light winds from the W by Fri afternoon).

Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Sat
24
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
!
!
2
3
3
3
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.8
NE
0.7
NE
0.7
NE
1.7
E
1.6
E
1.7
E
1.5
ESE
1.5
ESE
1.4
ESE
1.5
E
1.4
E
1.4
ENE
1.7
ENE
2.4
NE
4
NE
6.5
NNE
4
NE
3
NE
1.9
NNW
1.8
ENE
1.2
NW
Period(s) (?)88868877777778912111011911
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)97666322829936422522219323520620824167524221220137521911894523339
Wind
(km/h)
20
SE
20
SE
20
SE
20
SE
20
SE
25
SE
25
SE
25
ESE
25
ESE
20
ESE
25
E
25
E
30
ENE
45
NE
25
NW
25
W
20
WSW
20
W
15
SW
15
SSE
15
SSE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		crosscrosscross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		crosscross-
off		crosscross-
off		offoff
High Tide
/ height (m)
7:15AM
1.57
7:24PM
1.50
7:59AM
1.62
8:09PM
1.53
8:41AM
1.67
8:52PM
1.55
9:22AM
1.70
9:35PM
1.57
10:01AM
1.73
10:18PM
1.59
10:41AM
1.74
11:02PM
1.60
11:23AM
1.74
Low Tide
/ height (m)
12:53AM
0.33
1:26PM
0.44
1:40AM
0.29
2:13PM
0.39
2:24AM
0.25
2:57PM
0.34
3:06AM
0.22
3:40PM
0.29
3:48AM
0.21
4:21PM
0.25
4:30AM
0.20
5:03PM
0.22
5:13AM
0.22
5:46PM
0.19
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Sat
24
Sunrise-6:05--6:05--6:07--6:07--6:09--6:11--6:11-
Sunset--8:30--8:30--8:29--8:29--8:28--8:28--8:27
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
mod rain
light rain
light rain
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
Rain (mm)
---------832415110------
Temp. °C171820182020171818171818202123222323201819
Feels °C (?)141416151716141414151615161623212122181616
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

View detailed surf forecast for Waihau Bay at:
surf-forecast.com

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 12 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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