Wainui Beach – Schools Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Wainui Beach - Schools Surf Guide

Wainui Beach - Schools in Gisborne and Mahia is an exposed beach and reef break that has very consistent surf and works all around the year. Offshore winds blow from the northwest. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the south southeast. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around mid tide when the tide is rising. When it's working here, it can get crowded. Beware of rips and rocks.

Wainui Beach - Schools Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	4	very consistent	16.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Wainui Beach - Schools:

The best conditions reported for surf at Wainui Beach - Schools occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Wainui Beach - Schools (for consistent clean waves)?

mayBest Season: spring

The best time of year for surfing Wainui Beach - Schools with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Spring and most often the month of May. Clean surfable waves are typically found 47% of the time in May while 49% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 4% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

47%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

49%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Wainui Beach - Schools Location Map

Interactive Wainui Beach - Schools surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Wainui Beach - Schools is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 9 km (6 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Wainui Beach - Schools is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 132 km (82 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Wainui Beach - Schools Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 06:43 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 07
ft, °F	3AM	6AM	9AM	12PM
Wave (m)	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	off	cross- off	cross- off

What does Wainui Beach - Schools look like?

Latest photos from Wainui Beach - Schools. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Wainui Beach - Schools

Current tide and informaton

For Gisborne, New Zealand, 6 km from Wainui Beach - Schools.

Next High Water: 09:41am | 1.7m

Next Low Water: 03:53pm | 0.72m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Wainui Beach - Schools Sea Temperature

The water temperature (16.3 °C) at Wainui Beach - Schools is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (18.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 16.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite