Surf Forecasts:
Wharariki Beach surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 16s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 17s period, W swell with 2,713 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Wharariki Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wharariki Beach in the next 16 days are 2.1m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for Wharariki Beach.
The window starts off a bit average, but there’s a solid run of cleaner conditions building towards the end of the first week, and then a big, powerful pulse for the experienced crew later on. The first few days are a write-off thanks to strong winds and mediocre swell, so we’ve got a bit of a gap until Sunday morning.
The real standout for the average punter is Sunday morning, 19 July. The wind swings offshore from the SE, dropping to just 3 mph, with a clean 4ft west swell running at a long 16 seconds. That’s a beautiful, lined-up groundswell with moderate energy (973) and near-perfect conditions. The afternoon goes glassy, with the swell bumping up a touch to 5ft. That’s your best bet for a fun, clean session without the hassle.
For the big-wave hunters, Friday morning, 31 July is the one to circle. We’re looking at a solid 8ft west swell with a 14-second period, combined with a light SSE offshore breeze and a staggering combined energy reading of 2986. This is a serious amount of water moving. The following Friday afternoon sees the swell hit 10ft with a 17-second period and energy of 5651, but that’s almost definitely too big for this exposed beach, even for experts. The Friday morning session is the sweet spot for the experienced crew.
The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so don’t expect any surprises there.
Stay safe, read the conditions, and I’ll see you in the water.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sat afternoon, min 9°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat night, calm by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Tue afternoon, calm by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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) | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | N 10 | W 16 | W 5 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 520 | 858 | 1010 | 876 | 736 | 1420 | 2713 | 848 | 964 | 711 | 581 | 476 | 356 | 272 | 326 | 2 | 5 | 47 | 94 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:37PM3.52m | 12:01PM3.28m | 00:23AM3.46m | 12:47PM3.19m | 1:08AM3.33m | 1:33PM3.07m | 1:53AM3.14m | 2:19PM2.91m | 2:38AM2.93m | 3:08PM2.75m | 3:27AM2.72m | 4:01PM2.60m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:54AM-0.03m | 6:10PM0.03m | 6:40AM0.03m | 6:55PM0.14m | 7:25AM0.16m | 7:41PM0.30m | 8:10AM0.33m | 8:28PM0.50m | 8:57AM0.52m | 9:18PM0.70m | 9:46AM0.70m | 10:13PM0.87m | |||||||
 |  | | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 4 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | WSW 7 | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | E 4 | N 10 | N 9 | WSW 12 | W 10 |
| kJ | 135 | 858 | 1010 | 876 | 166 | 1420 | 869 | 848 | 964 | 711 | 581 | 476 | 356 | 272 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 94 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 15 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 15 | W 7 | N 11 | W 7 | N 11 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 10 | ESE 5 | W 18 | N 7 | — | W 15 | W 13 |
| kJ | 520 | 96 | 134 | 144 | 736 | 82 | 2 | 123 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 1 | — | 38 | 55 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | — | — | NW 8 | NW 8 | — | — | N 10 | N 12 | N 11 | NW 4 | NW 5 | W 20 | W 19 | N 10 | N 7 | W 16 | N 8 | N 7 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 7 | W 7 | WSW 7 | — | WSW 6 | W 17 | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | E 6 | — | W 13 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | E 5 |
| kJ | — | 175 | 240 | 197 | — | 143 | 2713 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 73 | — | 326 | 102 | 85 | 41 | 50 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 111 | 196 | 111 | 111 | 152 | 111 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 111 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - West Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Wharariki Beach 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 Wharariki Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Wharariki Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Wharariki Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Wharariki Beach 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 (Wharariki Beach) 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 Wharariki Beach 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 Nelson - West Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Wharariki Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nelson - West Coast, consider staying in Nelson which is 100 km (62 miles) away.
Nearest