Surf Forecasts:
Wharariki Beach surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, W swell with 4,588 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s 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 (Jul 25) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s 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 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) 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 1.5m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 01) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mate, let’s break this down for us. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster in the forecast.
The real jewel in this run is the morning of Monday, August 3rd. Mark it down.
Right now, we’re staring down a huge, powerful, but messy swell. This Saturday morning, July 25th, is a 6ft west swell with a super long 17-second period, blowing a fresh cross-offshore wind. The swell energy is recorded at 2053, so there’s plenty of grunt, but it’s raw. That afternoon it jumps to a massive 13ft with a 14-second period and a strong cross-off wind – that’s a serious beast for experts only, on a good day.
Sunday the 26th is similar: a 7ft west swell with a moderate cross-off in the morning. It drops to a 5ft west swell in the afternoon with light cross-shore winds and showers. Rideable, but nothing great.
Monday the 27th of July afternoon is the first good look. The wind goes glassy, and we get a clean 4ft west swell with a 12-second period. The energy is a very manageable 511. It’s a nice, clean, small-wave session for the intermediate surfer. That’s the pick of the first week. Everything after that falls apart into small, messy, blown-out waves. By Wednesday the 29th it’s barely a foot or two with onshore chop. There’s a 8ft swell on Friday morning the 31st of July, but a near gale from the north makes it complete garbage for paddling. Kite surfers would be all over that.
Then, the gold. On the morning of Monday, August 3rd, we get an excellent, clean 6ft west groundswell with a very long 18-second period. Light offshore wind from the south at just 6 mph. The combined swell energy is a strong 2111. This is a proper groundswell. That long period means it’ll have plenty of power, but at Wharariki Beach it might be a bit straight and fat on the banks. If you know the spot, it’ll be an awesome, powerful wave for experienced surfers. That is the one session to chase. After that, it fades into small, clean, but unremarkable waves for the rest of the run.
The water is sitting at 58°F, which is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.
So, the takeaway: tough sledding for the next week, a little clean-up on the 27th, but the real call to action is first light on Monday the 3rd of August. That’s the one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 11°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat morning, calm by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu night, min 8°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, strong winds from the N by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | W 14 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 15 | W 14 | W 13 | NNW 6 | NW 8 | NW 9 | W 14 | W 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1663 | 6542 | 3577 | 1663 | 1042 | 824 | 717 | 497 | 322 | 191 | 146 | 112 | 79 | 107 | 361 | 280 | 258 | 1774 | 769 | 1343 | 932 |
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 | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:10PM2.52m | 7:34AM2.48m | 8:05PM2.63m | 8:26AM2.59m | 8:53PM2.77m | 9:12AM2.72m | 9:35PM2.91m | 9:52AM2.85m | 10:13PM3.04m | 10:29AM2.95m | 10:48PM3.14m | 11:05AM3.02m | 11:23PM3.20m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:49PM0.93m | 1:25AM0.96m | 1:47PM0.85m | 2:19AM0.85m | 2:37PM0.73m | 3:06AM0.70m | 3:20PM0.59m | 3:47AM0.56m | 4:00PM0.45m | 4:25AM0.43m | 4:37PM0.35m | 5:01AM0.32m | 5:12PM0.28m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |  | | | |  | |  | |
 | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — |
 | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 18 | 29 |
Temp °C | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 1 | -1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 17 | N 9 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | — | NW 9 | NNW 8 | W 13 |
| kJ | 1663 | 39 | 3577 | 1663 | 1042 | 824 | 717 | 497 | 322 | 191 | 146 | 112 | 79 | 75 | 361 | 280 | 171 | — | 769 | 277 | 932 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | N 8 | E 5 | NW 8 | WNW 14 | NW 14 | NW 12 | WNW 12 | W 18 | W 16 | W 16 | W 9 | W 15 | W 15 | — | W 18 | W 17 | — | W 16 | NW 14 | N 7 |
| kJ | 178 | 49 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 29 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 107 | — | 96 | 135 | — | 402 | 51 | 23 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 18 | — | — | — | W 18 | W 21 | — | — | — | NW 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 6 | 9 | — | — | — | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 14 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 6 | NW 8 | — | W 14 | E 5 |
| kJ | 212 | 6542 | 37 | 54 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 6 | 26 | 258 | 1774 | — | 1343 | 73 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 95 | 97 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 111 | 95 | 95 | 192 | 192 | 111 | 111 | 11 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - West Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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