Surf Forecasts:
Wharariki Beach surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, WNW swell with 9,458 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 13s period. 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 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
IMPERIAL
Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for Wharariki Beach over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, the pattern is a long, drawn-out period of wind and swell that’s just not playing nice. We’re looking at a good ten days or so of pretty ordinary, messy conditions with a mix of strong winds and lumpy seas before things start to clean up. The pick of the entire window is a long way off, but it does look like a cracker.
The first real glimmer of quality surf doesn’t show up until the morning of Sunday, July 27. The swell is a solid 10ft from the W with a 12-second period, bringing a strong wave energy (2762). The wind is a clean, cross-off SW breeze at 22 mph, which is a big plus. However, this is a big swell – over 8ft – so it's definitely for experienced surfers only. The water temperature is sitting at 59°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
Now, the real standout, the one you want to circle on the calendar, is the afternoon of Saturday, August 1. The wind is a light, cross-off SSW at 12 mph, and we’ve got a 12ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period. The combined energy is massive at 2452. This is big, powerful stuff, and with the wind being clean, the setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. It’s still a big, expert-only wave.
The morning of Sunday, August 2, also has a big 10ft WNW swell with a 13-second period and a cross-off WSW wind at 25 mph. The energy is very strong (3217), but again, the wind is strong, and the swell is too big for most paddlers. It’s a window for the seriously skilled.
Outside of those few windows, the rest of the period is a write-off. The winds are howling, the swell is either too small or too wind-affected, and the conditions are just plain poor. There’s a lot of time between the 19th and the 27th where there’s nothing worth chasing.
Wharariki Beach is a consistent, exposed beach break that gets a NW swell. It never gets crowded, so if you’re good enough to handle the big stuff, you’ll have it to yourself.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, strong winds from the WSW by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu night, min 9°C on Fri afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, severe gales from the W by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 14 | WNW 16 | WNW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 853 | 964 | 606 | 405 | 394 | 293 | 219 | 480 | 77 | 43 | 38 | 297 | 356 | 280 | 116 | 493 | 513 | 1258 | 3746 | 8346 | 7462 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:33PM3.07m | 1:53AM3.14m | 2:19PM2.91m | 2:38AM2.93m | 3:08PM2.75m | 3:27AM2.72m | 4:01PM2.60m | 4:22AM2.55m | 5:00PM2.50m | 5:25AM2.44m | 6:06PM2.47m | 6:32AM2.42m | 7:10PM2.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:41PM0.30m | 8:10AM0.33m | 8:28PM0.50m | 8:57AM0.52m | 9:18PM0.70m | 9:46AM0.70m | 10:13PM0.87m | 10:42AM0.85m | 11:15PM0.99m | 11:45AM0.93m | 00:22AM1.02m | 12:49PM0.93m | 1:25AM0.96m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | | |
 | 7:46 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — |
 | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | -1 | 2 | -4 | -5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | NNW 10 | W 12 | W 12 | W 6 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | N 7 | — | NW 15 | — | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 853 | 964 | 606 | 405 | 394 | 293 | 219 | 22 | 77 | 25 | 31 | 297 | 356 | 280 | 116 | 26 | 59 | — | 318 | — | 192 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | N 11 | NNW 11 | NNW 11 | NNW 11 | NNW 11 | ENE 4 | W 18 | W 16 | W 16 | WSW 12 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | — | W 13 | NW 10 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 115 | 9 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 3 | 25 | 21 | 43 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | N 11 | NNW 11 | — | W 22 | W 20 | NNW 10 | — | N 10 | N 10 | W 15 | N 8 | N 7 | — | — | — | W 19 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 11 | — | 9 | 8 | 22 | — | 8 | 7 | 38 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 3 | E 6 | ESE 6 | E 5 | E 5 | — | W 13 | WSW 6 | W 6 | — | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 5 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 14 | WNW 16 | WNW 16 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 114 | 131 | 99 | 20 | — | 480 | 94 | 69 | — | — | — | 4 | 110 | 493 | 513 | 1258 | 3746 | 8346 | 7462 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 20 | 34 | 34 | 20 | 11 | 111 | 152 | 111 | 0 | 11 | 20 | 34 | 186 | 192 | 97 | 362 | 97 | 196 | 215 | 198 |
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