Surf Forecasts:
Wainui Beach - Schools surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 12s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 17s period, SSE swell with 2,225 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Wainui Beach - Schools this week:
The surf forecast for Wainui Beach - Schools over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wainui Beach - Schools in the next 16 days are 2.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wainui Beach - Schools over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here again, giving you the same outlook but in feet and knots.
Right, we’re at Wainui Beach - Schools. It’s a beach and reef break, very consistent, exposed to swell, and the water’s sitting around 55°F – that’s about 2°F cooler than average for this time of year, so a bit nippy.
The run starts slow. Saturday the 29th has 2ft SE swell with a 12-second period, cross-off wind, combined energy at 137 (weak) – surfable but nothing to write home about. Sunday the 30th goes glassy with a tiny 2ft SE swell, energy drops to 91 – barely a bump. Monday the 31st is the first real highlight. Morning brings a 2ft SSE groundswell with a long 17-second period, light offshore wind, and 267 energy (moderate). That’s clean and has some push for the size, and with that period, it’ll line up nicely here. Monday afternoon sees the swell rise to 3ft SSE at 15 seconds, energy 476 (moderate), but the wind goes cross-on, so the morning is the call.
Tuesday the 1st of September gets ugly. Early onshore wind and 4ft SSE swell at 13 seconds, energy 547 (moderate), but choppy. Tuesday afternoon jumps to 6ft S swell with a short 9-second period, energy rockets to 1222 (strong) – cross-shore wind and rain make it a slog.
Wednesday the 2nd of September is the standout. Morning shows a clean 7ft SSE swell with a 14-second period, solid offshore NW wind, and combined energy of 1409 (strong). That’s powerful, clean, and only for experienced surfers. The afternoon holds the same 7ft height with a 15-second period, energy 1822 (strong), but the wind shifts cross-shore, so the morning is prime. Thursday the 3rd still has good leftover swell: 5ft SSE at 14 seconds, moderate offshore, energy 799 (moderate), clean but fading.
After that, it goes small. Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th are tiny, with Saturday offering a glassy 4ft SSE swell, energy 213 (weak) – a fun little paddle. Sunday the 6th is minimal, energy 79. Then a long quiet stretch until Thursday the 10th of September, where a big spike appears. Thursday afternoon shows an 8ft SSE groundswell with a 15-second period, offshore NW wind, and energy of 3497 (very strong). That’s massive and clean, but it might be too big for this break, so only for the experts and more than a week out – keep it on your radar.
Best bet: Wednesday morning the 2nd of September – that 7ft SSE swell with offshore winds and strong energy is the one. Monday the 31st morning is a solid second pick. The rest is mostly average or messy with a long gap in between.
Catch you out there,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 17 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 110 | 106 | 60 | 57 | 28 | 29 | 219 | 300 | 673 | 538 | 562 | 1030 | 1407 | 1804 | 1675 | 789 | 336 | 164 | 91 | 48 | 35 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | off | off | cross | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross |
High Tide | 7:10PM1.96m | 7:25AM1.92m | 7:46PM2.01m | 8:06AM1.96m | 8:24PM2.02m | 8:46AM1.99m | 9:04PM2.02m | 9:29AM2.00m | 9:48PM1.98m | 10:14AM1.99m | 10:35PM1.94m | 11:03AM1.96m | 11:23PM1.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:50PM0.58m | 1:26AM0.59m | 1:30PM0.53m | 2:04AM0.52m | 2:10PM0.50m | 2:42AM0.47m | 2:52PM0.48m | 3:22AM0.44m | 3:36PM0.48m | 4:05AM0.44m | 4:22PM0.50m | 4:53AM0.45m | 5:11PM0.54m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — |
mm | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ENE 9 | SSE 17 | SSE 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 6 |
| kJ | 110 | 106 | 60 | 57 | 28 | 29 | 219 | 172 | 673 | 538 | 262 | 1030 | 1407 | 1804 | 1675 | 789 | 336 | 164 | 91 | 48 | 35 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | SE 10 | S 8 | SSE 15 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | SSE 13 | NE 10 | E 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 27 | 33 | 300 | 7 | 9 | 390 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | SE 13 | SSE 15 | SE 12 | ENE 9 | SSE 14 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | SE 11 | — | ENE 9 | — | — | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | SSE 12 |
| kJ | 18 | 42 | 22 | 22 | 8 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 5 | — | 8 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | S 9 | — | — | — | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | WNW 3 | — |
| kJ | 34 | 33 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 562 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | 2 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 39 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Wainui Beach - Schools Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Wainui Beach - Schools provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Wainui Beach - Schools can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Wainui Beach - Schools 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 (Wainui Beach - Schools) 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 Wainui Beach - Schools 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Gisborne and Mahia? If you are looking for accommodation near Wainui Beach - Schools, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Gisborne and Mahia, consider staying in Gisborne which is 9 km (6 miles) away.
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