Wharariki Beach surf break

Wharariki Beach surfForecast / Nelson – West Coast / New Zealand

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Thursday 23 Apr 2026 NZST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Wharariki Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Wharariki Beach sea temperature is
17.0° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)

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 Friday (Apr 24) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period. 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 1.8m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Apr 29) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Apr 29) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Fri 24th Apr)2ft (0.6m) 16s
Best Surf 6AM (Sat 25th Apr)1.5ft (0.5m) 18s
Most Powerful 9PM (Wed 29th Apr)6ft (1.8m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Tue morning, strong winds from the W by Wed morning).

Thu
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
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<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
W
18
0.6
W
16
0.6
W
14
0.5
W
14
0.4
WSW
13
0.6
W
16
0.9
W
15
0.8
W
14
0.7
W
13
0.6
W
12
0.4
W
18
1.1
W
16
1.1
W
14
1.4
W
13
0.8
W
13
0.7
W
12
0.9
W
7
0.4
W
20
0.1
W
14
1.7
W
18
0.6
W
17
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
96
178
146
99
57
185
357
249
165
108
97
590
496
694
209
148
74
122
4
1831
211
Wind (km/h)
10
ENE
5
S
5
NNW
15
WSW
10
S
10
SE
5
SW
5
WSW
10
SW
30
WSW
30
SW
25
WSW
25
WSW
30
WSW
25
WSW
20
WSW
15
SW
40
WSW
55
W
45
W
20
SW
cross
off
glassy
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
3:04AM2.86m
3:42PM2.61m
4:19AM2.74m
5:02PM2.55m
5:35AM2.73m
6:15PM2.60m
6:41AM2.79m
7:16PM2.72m
7:35AM2.88m
8:05PM2.85m
8:21AM2.97m
8:46PM2.98m
9:01AM3.03m
Low Tide
8:45PM0.60m
9:30AM0.66m
9:56PM0.75m
10:46AM0.73m
11:13PM0.79m
11:59AM0.70m
00:23AM0.74m
1:01PM0.59m
1:22AM0.63m
1:51PM0.47m
2:11AM0.52m
2:34PM0.37m
2:53AM0.43m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:07
7:07
7:09
7:09
7:11
7:11
7:13
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:47
5:46
5:45
5:44
5:43
5:40
5:39
5:38
Temp °C
12
12
13
14
13
12
14
13
13
16
14
16
16
15
15
16
14
15
15
16
13
9
10
12
11
11
12
13
12
11
10
7
11
11
9
10
13
11
5
6
8
8
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
W
18
0.6
W
16
0.6
W
14
0.5
W
14
0.4
WSW
13
0.6
W
16
0.9
W
15
0.8
W
14
0.7
W
13
0.6
W
12
0.4
W
18
1.1
W
16
1.1
W
14
0.1
N
13
0.8
W
13
0.7
W
12
0.9
W
7
0.7
W
7
0.1
N
11
0.1
N
11
0.6
W
12
Energy kJ
96
178
146
99
57
185
357
249
165
108
97
590
496
3
209
148
74
43
3
2
106
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
E
4
0.4
E
4
0.2
E
3
0.4
WSW
4
0.4
WSW
13
0.6
W
5
0.7
W
7
0.6
W
7
0.1
W
19
0.3
W
14
0.9
WSW
6
0.1
N
13
0.1
N
13
0.1
W
18
0.2
W
16
0.5
W
12
0.4
WSW
12
0.1
N
12
0.1
N
13
0.6
W
17
Energy kJ
6
5
1
6
55
18
47
36
7
37
66
3
3
6
21
72
46
3
4
211
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
WSW
13
0.1
W
6
0.1
W
5
0.1
N
13
0.2
W
20
0.3
WSW
5
0.1
N
12
0.1
N
12
0.1
N
16
0.1
N
15
0.1
N
14
0.1
N
14
0.1
N
13
0.1
N
13
0.1
N
13
0.1
N
12
0.2
W
22
0.4
W
20
0.1
W
14
0.1
W
13
0.1
N
13
Energy kJ
55
1
1
3
30
4
3
3
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
37
122
4
3
4
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
ESE
4
0.1
W
5
0.8
WSW
6
1.6
WSW
6
1.1
W
7
1.4
W
13
1
W
6
1.1
W
5
2
W
6
1.7
W
18
0.8
W
6
Energy kJ
6
1
42
170
104
694
86
65
276
1831
38
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
3
3
1
1
3
1
1
2
Distance (km)
162
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
201
111
111
163
111
111
7
7
111
152
196
4
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - West Coast
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
1
2
3
2
3
3
1
1
2
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand
Rating
(10 max)
3
3
3
4
2
4
3
3
5
8
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
3
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
5
8
6
8
4
5
5
6
5
9
5
6
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for Nelson - West Coast

  1. Long period small swell on the west coast reefs on Wednesday. Just waist to shoulder high fun. Hardly a breath of wind, just as forecast. Glorious autumn blye sky day.

    Anatori River, 34 km away
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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.

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