
Surf Forecasts:
Waimarama surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 26ft (8.0m), 17s period, SSW swell with 33,492 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Waimarama this week:
The surf forecast for Waimarama over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 3.0m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Waimarama in the next 16 days are 8.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 26ft (8.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Waimarama over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks at Waimarama (beach and reef). It’s a quiet start, with no real surf until Tuesday the 8th, so a few days of flatness to get through. The water’s running a bit colder than usual for this time of year, at 54°F, with a temperature anomaly of 2°F below average, so it feels a touch nippy for the first surf.
We kick off Tuesday morning the 8th with a solid pulse. The swell comes in from the SE at 10ft, period 9 seconds, with strong wave energy (2931). The wind’s blowing offshore from the SSW at 19 mph, so it’s fresh and clean, but this size is already pushing into expert territory – too big for beginners. By Tuesday afternoon the swell drops a touch to 8ft from the SE, still moderate to strong energy (1008), with cross-off wind, so it stays clean but still hefty.
Wednesday the 9th looks magic early. Morning brings 5ft from the SE, period 8 seconds, with glassy conditions – that’s a major positive, the surface will be like a mirror. Moderate wave energy (381). It’s a good all-round size, not too big, not too small. This is the standout of the first week: clean, glassy, and surfable for a range of abilities. The afternoon turns onshore and messy, so get out early.
Thursday the 10th fades hard, with small, weak, choppy surf – not worth paddling out for. Friday the 11th sees a return of size and quality: morning 5ft from the S, short 7-second period, fresh offshore from the SW at 19 mph, clean but short-period chop might make it a bit lumpy. Afternoon is the winner: 6ft from the S, 8 seconds, gentle offshore wind, clean conditions, moderate energy (456). That’s a solid session.
Saturday the 12th morning is clean but a bit weak at 4ft from the S. The afternoon gets wild – 12ft from the SSW, 10 seconds, very strong energy (4163), fresh offshore. It’s too big for most, expert only. Sunday the 13th morning is huge: 13ft from the S, very long 15-second period, massive energy (7220), moderate offshore. That’s a serious groundswell – best suited for the reef here, as it’ll be too straight and walled at the beach. Afternoon drops to 10ft from the S, still solid.
Monday the 14th afternoon is a hidden gem: 6ft from the S, 11-second period, glassy, clean, moderate energy (693). That’s a beautiful window. Tuesday the 15th afternoon brings 7ft from the SSE, very long 14-second period, strong energy (1858), light cross-off wind – excellent for experienced surfers, but the long period means it’ll be better on the reef than the beach.
From Wednesday the 16th onwards, the size drops and winds turn messy. Thursday the 17th is tiny and choppy. Friday the 18th has some small, ordinary waves but nothing to get excited about. Then from Saturday the 19th to the end of the outlook, it gets blown out and oversized again, with a massive 16ft+ swell from the S from the 20th onwards, with near-gale and fresh winds. Those days are for the experts only – think big, dangerous conditions. The combined energy soars into the thousands (6340, 6497, 13348), but the wind and size make it a miss for most.
Best on offer: Wednesday morning the 9th for the glassy, clean 5ft SE swell, and Monday afternoon the 14th for the glassy 6ft S swell. If you’re an experienced surfer, Tuesday afternoon the 15th is a cracker.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 38mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 7°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Sun morning, strong winds from the SSE by Mon afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 18 | SSW 17 | N 4 | SSW 10 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SSW 14 | S 7 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
26 | 57 | 33 | 19 | 471 | 1320 | 1611 | 838 | 498 | 354 | 316 | 179 | 74 | 36 | 37 | 247 | 382 | 225 | 269 | 2703 | 27839 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 12:37PM1.54m | 1:04AM1.44m | 1:36PM1.55m | 2:03AM1.44m | 2:35PM1.57m | 3:02AM1.45m | 3:33PM1.58m | 4:01AM1.46m | 4:30PM1.58m | 4:57AM1.48m | 5:24PM1.58m | 5:51AM1.49m | 6:17PM1.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:58PM0.15m | 7:18AM0.12m | 7:56PM0.14m | 8:15AM0.11m | 8:55PM0.13m | 9:14AM0.10m | 9:53PM0.11m | 10:12AM0.09m | 10:50PM0.09m | 11:09AM0.08m | 11:45PM0.08m | 12:05PM0.08m | 00:37AM0.07m | ||||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 9 | 6 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | NE 7 | NE 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | NE 14 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 16 |
16 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 1306 | 838 | 498 | 354 | 316 | 179 | 74 | 36 | 12 | 50 | 382 | 225 | 269 | 1453 | 12946 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | SSW 17 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | S 16 | E 16 | S 15 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 14 | S 18 | SSW 18 | S 18 | S 17 | NE 13 | — |
3 | 57 | 14 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 16 | 24 | 33 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 37 | 27 | 66 | 55 | 23 | 7 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | NE 10 | S 17 | S 16 | — | E 16 | NE 16 | NE 16 | E 15 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 4 | ENE 8 | NNE 4 | ESE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 13 | — | — |
26 | 4 | 23 | 5 | — | 5 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 17 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 4 | N 4 | S 3 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | S 6 | — | — | — | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | SW 3 | S 7 | — | W 4 | WSW 4 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 |
— | 3 | 33 | 6 | 471 | 1320 | 1611 | 142 | 41 | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 4 | 247 | — | 21 | 30 | 2703 | 27839 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 2 | 61 | 140 | 197 | 40 | 40 | 205 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 6 | 197 | 0 | 6 | 61 | 137 | 262 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Hawkes Bay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Waimarama Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Waimarama provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Waimarama can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Waimarama 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 (Waimarama) 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 Waimarama 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.
Waimarama is 25 km (16 miles) from the city of Hastings. If you plan a holiday in Hawkes Bay, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hastings. Hastings has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










