Surf Forecasts:
Wharariki Beach surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 18s period, W swell with 3,678 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 12PM (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 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wharariki Beach in the next 16 days are 2.4m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let's see what we've got for Wharariki Beach. To be honest, mate, the first week or so looks like one of those periods where you’re better off doing the chores. There's surf, but it's a bit of a battle.
The opening days, starting Thursday the 16th, have a solid amount of energy – we're talking a powerful west swell with combined energy in the thousands (2152), but it's being hammered by a fresh to strong breeze out of the west. The swell is a chunky 7ft with a long 15-second period, but that cross-off wind is going to put a lumpy, bumpy texture on it. It’s not what you'd call inviting. Friday the 17th calms down a touch with a 5ft to 5ft swell, but the wind is still a problem.
Now, you have to be patient. The real gem here is Sunday the 19th. The swell drops a little, but the wind goes absolutely glassy calm in the afternoon. For Wharariki, that is the key. That 5ft west swell (16-second period) is going to be lined up and clean. The combined energy is still a respectable 1103, and the setup looks excellent for experienced surfers. That's your standout. Get on it.
After that, we hit a real flat spell. From Monday the 20th right through to about Friday the 24th, the swell drops to under 3ft, and the energy dips into the low hundreds. It’s ordinary, small, and uninspiring. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.
Things start to look promising again towards the very end of the month. On Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th, a new 7ft west swell pushes in with moderate energy (1491). The wind is offshore from the southeast and light to moderate, which should clean it up nicely. It's a two-week-away call, so not a dead certainty, but it’s a proper pulse of swell. That Wednesday the 29th with a 6ft swell and a gentle breeze sounds like the better of those two days – a solid, clean option for the confident intermediate.
So, bottom line: if you're keen, your window is Sunday afternoon the 19th. Otherwise, keep an eye on that last week of July for a possible late-month paddle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed night, min 9°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Wed night, light winds from the SW by Fri night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Sat night, min 10°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | 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 | WSW 12 | WNW 16 | N 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1953 | 2093 | 1746 | 520 | 858 | 1010 | 876 | 1963 | 3678 | 1143 | 848 | 1092 | 711 | 476 | 456 | 284 | 215 | 161 | 248 | 48 | 19 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:49PM3.49m | 11:14AM3.30m | 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 | 5:06AM-0.01m | 5:23PM-0.01m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — |
 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 |
mm | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | NW 15 | WNW 15 | 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 | W 16 | N 11 | N 10 |
| kJ | 1953 | 59 | 44 | 520 | 858 | 1010 | 876 | 537 | 909 | 1143 | 848 | 1092 | 711 | 476 | 456 | 284 | 215 | 161 | 47 | 21 | 19 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WNW 15 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 5 | WNW 18 | NNW 5 | NW 4 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | NNE 10 | N 10 | N 10 | E 5 | N 10 | WNW 16 | W 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 360 | 96 | 131 | 110 | 3 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 8 | 48 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | NW 7 | — | N 12 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | — | W 20 | W 19 | W 18 | E 4 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 8 | 29 | 25 | 1 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | W 15 | W 15 | W 6 | WSW 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 15 | W 18 | WSW 7 | W 7 | — | NNE 10 | ESE 4 | — | E 4 | E 6 | — | WSW 12 | WSW 5 | W 6 |
| kJ | 13 | 2093 | 1746 | 141 | 134 | 212 | 142 | 1963 | 3678 | 180 | 134 | — | 11 | 2 | — | 13 | 64 | — | 248 | 113 | 123 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 95 | 95 | 193 | 152 | 111 | 152 | 7 | 152 | 200 | 4 | 111 | 0 | 7 | 34 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 111 | 111 | 111 |
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