Ward Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Kaikoura and Marlborough, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Ward Beach Surf Guide

Ward Beach in Kaikoura and Marlborough is a reasonably exposed beach break that has pretty consitent surf, although summer tends to be mostly flat. The best wind direction is from the northwest. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the ideal swell direction is from the southeast. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves. Best around low tide. Rarely crowded here. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.

Ward Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	3	fairly consistent	14.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Ward Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Ward Beach occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Ward Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Ward Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 16% of the time in June while 30% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 54% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

16%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

30%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

54%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Ward Beach Location Map

Interactive Ward Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Ward Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 15:24 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06			Thu
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	S	S	S	SSW
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	off	off	off

Tides at Ward Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Ward Beach, 0 km from Ward Beach.

Next High Water: 09:11pm | 1.39m

Next Low Water: 03:33am | 0.2m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Ward Beach Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.0 °C) at Ward Beach is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (17.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 14.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite