
Surf Forecasts:
West Shore Beach surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, ESE swell with 522 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period with ESE 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 (Jul 29) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at West Shore Beach in the next 16 days are 1.3m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 14s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for West Shore Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's get into it. We've got a mixed bag on the horizon for West Shore Beach. The first decent surf shows up on Wednesday, July 29th, with a clean 4ft east-southeast swell rolling in. The morning is the pick with a light cross-offshore breeze making for some tidy lines and a combined energy sitting at 514—that's a solid moderate pulse of power. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so nothing freaky there. The afternoon session gets a bit mucked up with a cross-on wind, but the morning is where you want to be. Thursday the 30th still has some waist-high swell around 3ft, and the morning looks clean again with that west-northwest breeze. After that, things get a bit small and scrappy through Friday and into the weekend, with dropping swell and inconsistent energy. The combined energy dips below 200, and the waves are pretty ordinary. The wind does turn offshore on Saturday, August 1st, but the swell is tiny—only 1.0ft to 1ft—so it's a longboard-only kind of day, if anything. The real standout comes on Thursday, August 6th. That morning session is the one to circle on your calendar. Swell jumps to 5ft out of the southeast, with a very long period of 16 seconds—that's proper groundswell, folks. The combined energy hits 1179, which is a strong pulse. The wind is a clean cross-off, and the report says excellent conditions for experienced surfers. That's because 5ft with that long period will have some punch, and it's going to be a bit much for beginners. The wave will be more powerful and might stand up a bit too fast for a beach break, but for those who know what they're doing, it's going to be pumping. The following morning, Friday, August 7th, is also a beauty—the wind goes glassy, and there's still a clean 3ft southeast swell with 275 combined energy. That's a great window for a more relaxed session before the surf drops off again. After that, we hit a dry spell. From Saturday, August 8th, all the way through Thursday, August 13th, the waves are poor, small, and onshore. The combined energy is mostly below 100, which is weak. It's a real blank run, and honestly, for this area, that's not unusual when the wind clocks around to the northeast. The swell is tiny and the conditions are messy. There's nothing to get excited about. So, in a nutshell: the best windows are the morning of Wednesday, July 29th, and the morning of Thursday, August 6th. The 6th is the true standout for experienced crew. The 7th morning is a good bonus session. The rest of the outlook is a waiting game.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 7°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 11°C on Fri night, min 3°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
653 | 514 | 467 | 425 | 279 | 209 | 161 | 119 | 114 | 59 | 38 | 61 | 145 | 156 | 86 | 41 | 67 | 63 | 100 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:04AM1.41m | 5:32PM1.53m | 5:51AM1.40m | 6:17PM1.53m | 6:38AM1.42m | 7:01PM1.55m | 7:25AM1.45m | 7:45PM1.56m | 8:09AM1.49m | 8:29PM1.59m | 8:52AM1.53m | 9:14PM1.61m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:03PM0.44m | 11:19AM0.39m | 11:48PM0.39m | 12:00PM0.35m | 00:33AM0.34m | 12:42PM0.31m | 1:18AM0.30m | 1:25PM0.29m | 2:02AM0.27m | 2:10PM0.27m | 2:45AM0.25m | 2:57PM0.27m | |||||||
— | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 8 |
653 | 514 | 467 | 425 | 279 | 209 | 161 | 119 | 114 | 59 | 35 | 68 | 145 | 156 | 86 | 41 | 67 | 63 | 100 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 19 | S 18 | — | SSW 13 | NE 5 | SE 16 | ESE 15 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SSE 12 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | S 19 |
22 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 | — | 17 | 11 | 10 | 22 | 38 | 61 | 51 | 28 | 61 | 96 | 16 | 15 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 7 | S 9 | — | S 18 | S 16 | SE 16 | E 19 | E 18 | SSE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 15 | SSE 10 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 |
— | — | 1 | 2 | — | 24 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | N 3 | NE 4 | N 3 | NNW 2 | — | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | S 8 |
— | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 1 | — | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 401 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 46 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 175 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 37 | 4 |
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.










