Surf Forecasts:
Wharariki Beach surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, W swell with 3,020 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 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 (Sep 13) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s is also forecast. 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 2.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) 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 1.9m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wharariki Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, grab a coffee and let's have a proper look at what's comin' down the line for Wharariki Beach.
Alright, first up, the ocean is runnin' a bit cool. The water temperature's sitting at 56°F, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year, nothin' wild there. Now, the overall picture is a mixed bag. We've got some serious groundswell energy on the horizon, but the wind is gonna be the main character in this story, and it ain't always a friendly one. The combined swell energy is gonna peak at some hefty numbers, but we gotta pick our moments.
The standout session, and the one I'd be circlin' on the calendar, is Monday the 14th, first thing in the morning. The wind is swingin' light offshore from the SSE at just 3 mph, which is about as good as it gets for clean faces. There's a solid 6ft groundswell rollin' in from the west with a long period of 16 seconds, so you're gettin' proper lines with plenty of push (combined energy of 1395). This is gonna be a proper session for experienced surfers, those lines will be holdin' up and offering some great rides.
After that, things get messy. The wind picks up through Monday arvo and stays cranky through most of the following week. There's another absolute beauty that's further out, and it's worth a mention. Tuesday the 22nd, morning. The forecast is callin' for glassy conditions, a dead calm with a light offshore breath from the WNW. The swell is gonna be a proper 8ft from the west with a 12-second period. That is a lot of water movin' around (combined energy of 1777), but that's gettin' into expert territory. For the experienced crew, that morning could be absolutely firing with those perfect, glassy walls, but the afternoon turns into a windy mess.
There are a couple of other half-decent windows. Saturday the 19th has some size (7ft in the morning) but the wind is howlin' a strong 28 mph cross-off, which is gonna be tricky. Sunday the 20th morning looks okay, with a light offshore and a 5ft west swell (combined energy of 2160), but it won't be as clean as the Monday prior. The tail end of the run, Friday the 25th, looks like it might come good with glassy conditions and a smaller 4ft to 5ft west swell, which would be a nice, cruisy session for a change.
The rest of the period is pretty much written off by strong winds, mostly cross-shore or onshore, and some lumpy conditions. Keep your eyes on those Monday and Tuesday mornings if you want the best of what's on offer.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Wed morning, light winds from the SSW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | N 12 | W 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 11 | WNW 10 | W 14 | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 8 | W 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1451 | 1201 | 1611 | 1384 | 1162 | 517 | 343 | 3 | 4 | 125 | 163 | 451 | 482 | 363 | 1290 | 1415 | 1206 | 635 | 1733 | 866 | 2824 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:10AM3.36m | 11:26PM3.39m | 11:46AM3.29m | 00:02AM3.26m | 12:22PM3.17m | 00:38AM3.07m | 12:59PM3.00m | 1:15AM2.86m | 1:38PM2.80m | 1:57AM2.64m | 2:24PM2.60m | 2:48AM2.43m | 3:23PM2.43m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:18PM0.03m | 5:38AM0.02m | 5:55PM0.14m | 6:14AM0.16m | 6:32PM0.31m | 6:50AM0.36m | 7:11PM0.51m | 7:28AM0.58m | 7:53PM0.73m | 8:12AM0.80m | 8:42PM0.94m | 9:06AM0.99m | 9:47PM1.10m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | N 12 | N 12 | W 13 | W 13 | W 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NNW 9 | W 16 | W 16 | W 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 7 |
| kJ | 1451 | 1201 | 1611 | 1384 | 1162 | 517 | 343 | 3 | 3 | 125 | 163 | 451 | 482 | 301 | 469 | 1415 | 1206 | 228 | 21 | 4 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | W 16 | E 4 | NE 13 | N 13 | W 7 | W 6 | N 12 | W 14 | W 18 | W 18 | N 11 | W 14 | W 14 | W 17 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | W 15 | NNW 8 | WNW 10 | N 7 |
| kJ | 7 | 912 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 232 | 363 | 1290 | 245 | 294 | 635 | 21 | 9 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | — | N 13 | N 13 | — | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | — | N 11 | N 11 | — | — | — | — | NW 16 | ESE 4 | NNW 8 | — | N 8 | — |
| kJ | 11 | — | 4 | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 65 | 6 | 90 | — | 5 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | W 5 | W 4 | WNW 4 | N 5 | N 5 | N 7 | ESE 4 | ESE 6 | — | — | W 15 | W 8 | W 16 |
| kJ | 586 | 492 | — | — | — | — | — | 216 | 117 | 38 | 37 | 25 | 58 | 192 | 46 | 69 | — | — | 1733 | 866 | 2824 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 152 | 204 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 111 | 111 | 198 | 111 | 97 | 111 | 95 | 11 | 175 | 0 | 152 | 201 | 111 |
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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