Wharariki Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 40.51° S 172.67° E

Wharariki Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 29 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Wharariki Beach sea temperature is
13.9° C
0.6° 

Wharariki Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Wharariki Beach surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, WNW swell with 8,363 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m 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 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 02) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Sat 1st Aug)5ft (1.6m) 13s
Best Surf 3PM (Sat 1st Aug)5ft (1.6m) 13s
Most Powerful 6PM (Fri 31st Jul)15ft (4.5m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at Wharariki Beach. It’s a consistently breaking, exposed spot that works best with the swell from the northwest. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off, to be honest. Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are poor surf conditions thanks to onshore winds and lumpy, messy seas. Friday the 31st sees a big jump in size with an 12 to 13ft west-northwest swell, but it’s being hammered by a near gale, making it a total no-go for paddle surfing – that kind of setup is more for kite surfers. The combined energy is massive (1644 to 3762), but it’s just too wild.

Now, Saturday the 1st of August starts to look a bit more promising. The morning has a clean 8ft west-northwest swell with moderate cross-offshore winds from the southeast, but the score is just marginal. The real standout is Saturday afternoon: a drop to 5ft from the west, with a 13-second period, and the wind goes light and cross-off. The sea is clean, and the combined energy (860) is moderate. That’s the best session of the early run.

Sunday morning the 2nd is glassy with a 3ft west swell, 12-second period, and clean conditions. It’s small but would be a fun, uncrowded wave. The afternoon goes back to poor with a fresh cross-offshore wind.

The middle of the week (Monday 3rd to Tuesday 4th) has a clean, long-period 18-second west swell at 4 to 5ft, but the wind is strong to fresh. The best bet there is Tuesday afternoon: 4ft west swell, 15-second period, light cross-offshore breeze and clean. That’s a solid, quality option.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is largely small (2 to 4ft) and clean, but never really gets exciting. The wind stays cross-offshore, but the swell is inconsistent. The 18-second west swell that pops up on Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th is a tease, but the wind is strong and the wave heights are under 3ft.

The real standout of the whole 16-day window is the Thursday the 13th of August. Morning is glassy, with a 10ft northwest swell, 10-second period, and a combined energy of 2072. That’s a big, powerful swell. But that’s a word of caution: 10ft is expert territory, and the period is just 10 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly and messy. Still, for a crew that knows what they’re doing, that’s the best swell on offer. It’s going to be big and powerful, but expect it to be a bit sectiony.

Overall, the best on offer is Saturday afternoon the 1st for a fun, clean size, and the big Thursday the 13th for the experts. Everything else is small, clean, and average.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 37mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 6°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the WNW on Wed night, gales from the W by Fri afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon morning, min 7°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the WSW by Sun night).

Wed
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
2
2
0
2
1
2
2
1
3
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1
W
14
1.1
W
14
0.8
W
14
0.6
W
16
3
NW
9
3.5
WNW
9
4
WNW
10
4.5
WNW
14
2.5
WNW
13
1.6
W
13
1.1
W
12
0.9
W
12
1.3
W
5
1.9
W
21
1.1
W
18
1.1
W
18
1.7
W
16
1.4
W
16
1.2
W
15
0.9
W
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
411
462
239
178
1387
1587
3720
7650
2168
851
342
217
0
3079
795
727
1511
952
623
333
Wind (km/h)
20
WNW
20
WNW
30
NNW
40
NNW
35
W
55
W
60
W
40
W
25
SE
5
ESE
5
NW
5
SE
30
W
40
WSW
40
WSW
30
WSW
15
ENE
30
SW
15
SW
20
ENE
Wind State
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
High Tide
10:13PM3.04m
10:29AM2.95m
10:48PM3.14m
11:05AM3.02m
11:23PM3.20m
11:41AM3.06m
11:57PM3.22m
12:16PM3.06m
00:32AM3.20m
12:54PM3.04m
1:10AM3.14m
1:34PM2.98m
1:51AM3.04m
Low Tide
4:25AM0.43m
4:37PM0.35m
5:01AM0.32m
5:12PM0.28m
5:37AM0.25m
5:48PM0.25m
6:12AM0.22m
6:24PM0.27m
6:48AM0.24m
7:02PM0.33m
7:27AM0.29m
7:43PM0.43m
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
mod rain
mod rain
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:37
7:35
7:35
7:33
7:33
7:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:32
5:34
5:35
5:35
5:36
5:37
5:37
 mm
2
3
4
7
2
2
9
8
1
Temp °C
12
13
14
14
14
11
11
11
6
9
9
8
9
12
13
13
11
11
12
11
Feels °C
7
9
8
6
7
-1
-2
0
0
6
6
4
1
3
6
6
8
5
9
7
  • 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
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Wharariki Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest