Surf Forecasts:
West Shore Beach surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 11s period, SE swell with 506 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for West Shore Beach this week:
The surf forecast for West Shore Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at West Shore Beach in the next 16 days are 1.4m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 11s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for West Shore Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, crew, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the stretch ahead. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We’ve got a small window of ridable surf early on, but then it’s looking like a long, flat spell that’ll have you checking your wax and wondering if the ocean forgot about us. Don’t get too bummed yet, though—there’s a little blip of life way out there on the horizon.
We start things off on Tuesday the 18th. It’s not much, but there’s a small, weak pulse of swell pushing in at West Shore Beach. We're looking at around 4ft of swell from the southeast. The wind is blowing fresh offshore from the southwest, which is great for keeping things clean, but the energy is weak. That onshore breeze is also going to make things feel a bit raw, with some light rain around. It’s surfable, but it's not going to win any awards.
Wednesday the 19th is where you want to be if you can only get out once this week. The swell bumps up a notch to 5ft, still from the southeast. The combined energy is the strongest we'll see for a while. The morning looks best with a fresh offshore wind from the southwest keeping the faces tidy. This is the standout of the opening run. The afternoon turns a bit more cross-off, and the period drops slightly, so get on it early.
After that, it’s a slow fade. Thursday the 20th drops to 3ft and the energy falls off a cliff. The wind swings around and goes cross-shore, making it a bit lumpy. By Friday the 21st, we’re down to 2ft with a long period but weak energy. The morning is glassy, which is a blessing, but the swell is just too small to get excited about. The weekend is a total write-off, with wave heights dropping to less than 1ft from the 22nd through the 29th. A classic flat spell.
One thing to keep in mind: the water is running a bit colder than usual for this time of year. When you do get in this week, you’ll feel that difference—about 3 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than average, so a thicker suit might be the call.
Now, after that long, flat gap, we see a flicker of life on Sunday the 30th. The swell jumps back up to 2ft, but it’s from the northeast and the period is a poor 4 seconds. Even though the offshore wind will be strong and clean, it’s just too weak and short-period to be any good for surfing. We’re talking knee-high slop at best. The models show that trying to push through to Tuesday the 1st of September, the energy just isn't there.
The one promising sign is all the way out at the end of the run, on Wednesday the 2nd of September. It’s still small, around 2ft, but the energy is up and the morning is forecast to be glassy with a light offshore wind. It’s a long way off, so I wouldn’t plan your life around it, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Given how weak the last week and a half looks, a little bit of clean swell will feel like a treasure.
Honestly, for the next few weeks, you might be better off checking if the wind is right for a kite session on the days it’s howling. Otherwise, keep the board in the car and the hope alive. The long flat spells happen here, but they don’t last forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 5°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, calm by Thu night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | E 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
246 | 440 | 365 | 335 | 255 | 123 | 126 | 96 | 99 | 90 | 36 | 23 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 17 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross |
High Tide | 10:05PM1.69m | 10:28AM1.70m | 10:54PM1.65m | 11:17AM1.65m | 11:43PM1.60m | 12:09PM1.60m | 00:30AM1.55m | 1:01PM1.56m | 1:17AM1.49m | 1:51PM1.52m | 2:05AM1.43m | 2:38PM1.50m | 2:53AM1.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:56PM0.26m | 4:22AM0.28m | 4:46PM0.32m | 5:10AM0.34m | 5:36PM0.38m | 5:58AM0.39m | 6:25PM0.42m | 6:44AM0.43m | 7:15PM0.45m | 7:30AM0.44m | 8:05PM0.46m | 8:18AM0.44m | 8:52PM0.45m | |||||||
— | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | |
5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | |
mm | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 13 |
Feels °C | 3 | -1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | SSE 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 |
246 | 440 | 365 | 335 | 255 | 123 | 126 | 96 | 99 | 90 | 36 | 23 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 17 | 17 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | — | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | S 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | ENE 3 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | NE 4 | S 10 | E 11 | SSE 12 | SE 7 |
2 | — | 43 | 51 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 28 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSE 10 | — | S 13 | S 12 | S 18 | S 16 | — | SSE 16 | — | E 14 | SE 9 | — | SE 10 | — | E 13 | S 15 | — |
— | — | — | 61 | — | 163 | 78 | 6 | 185 | — | 25 | — | 4 | 3 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 4 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | S 11 | — | — | S 8 | — | — | — | — | NNW 2 | NNW 3 | N 4 | N 4 | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 |
5 | 18 | 6 | 1401 | — | — | 439 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 235 | 227 | 2 | 225 | 2 | 2 | 99 | 2 | 2 | 46 | 6 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 166 | 23 | 44 | 23 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Hawkes Bay | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the West Shore Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for West Shore Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at West Shore Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our West Shore 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 (West Shore 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 West Shore 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.
West Shore Beach is 9 km (6 miles) from the city of Napier. If you plan a holiday in Hawkes Bay, look for hotels and other accommodation in Napier. Napier has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











