Surf Forecasts:
West Shore Beach surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, SE swell with 541 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period with E 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 Saturday (Aug 15) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. 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 1.6m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 10s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for West Shore Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty.
Look, to be honest, the 16-day window here is a bit of a struggle. We've got a small window of halfway decent surf kicking off the weekend, but for the most part, it's a pretty flat and quiet run.
The water is sitting at 54°, which is a bit colder than what we're used to for this time of year. A `-3°F` anomaly means you'll feel that extra chill, so a decent steamer is the go.
The first signs of life come Saturday morning, 15th of August. It's a 7ft east swell with cross-shore winds, but the energy is moderate at 875 and the period is a short 8 seconds. The face is a bit of a mess. Later that afternoon, it drops to 5ft from the east with a light cross-offshore breeze, cleaning it up nicely. That's the pick of the day.
Sunday morning, 16th of August, we see a 4ft east swell with a fresh 19 mph offshore wind, so it'll be clean. But the energy is weak at 173, and the conditions are described as poor. The same goes for the afternoon.
The best bet of the whole outlook is Tuesday morning, 18th of August. We've got a 5ft swell from the ESE, with a moderate 12 mph cross-offshore breeze. The energy jumps to a moderate 595, and the period stretches to 10 seconds. The call is for "very good surf conditions." Get on it.
After that, it's a slow and steady decline. The energy drops off, the swell gets smaller, and we hit a long flat spell from 21st of August through to the 28th. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, and the energy is barely registering. It's a long stretch of nothing.
We do get a late pulse on Saturday the 29th of August. The morning is a 2ft swell from the north-east with a short 5-second period, but the afternoon brings a 4ft NE swell with an 8-second period and a clean cross-offshore wind. The energy is moderate at 326. It's something to keep an eye on, but it's a long way out so don't bank on it.
For the most part, this stretch is more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers, given the wind and the lack of any real swell.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 12°C on Sat morning, min 4°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Thu morning, min 5°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
568 | 278 | 286 | 173 | 158 | 234 | 262 | 296 | 412 | 358 | 212 | 142 | 143 | 178 | 111 | 84 | 55 | 26 | 14 | 24 | 16 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:36PM1.82m | 8:06AM1.73m | 8:26PM1.79m | 8:55AM1.74m | 9:16PM1.74m | 9:41AM1.73m | 10:05PM1.69m | 10:28AM1.70m | 10:54PM1.65m | 11:17AM1.65m | 11:43PM1.60m | 12:09PM1.60m | 00:30AM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:19PM0.06m | 1:57AM0.09m | 2:12PM0.11m | 2:46AM0.14m | 3:04PM0.18m | 3:34AM0.20m | 3:56PM0.26m | 4:22AM0.28m | 4:46PM0.32m | 5:10AM0.34m | 5:36PM0.38m | 5:58AM0.39m | 6:25PM0.42m | ||||||||
7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | |
— | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | |
mm | 3 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
304 | 278 | 286 | 173 | 158 | 234 | 262 | 296 | 412 | 237 | 212 | 142 | 143 | 178 | 111 | 84 | 55 | 67 | 42 | 24 | 16 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | ESE 13 | S 21 | S 20 | SSE 6 | S 19 | SSW 16 | ESE 10 | E 11 | ESE 10 | — | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 |
7 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 182 | 153 | 292 | 37 | 358 | — | — | 127 | 94 | 46 | 42 | 75 | 26 | 14 | 55 | 24 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | S 18 | — | — | S 19 | — | — | — | — | SSW 12 | — | — | — | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | SSE 17 | ESE 12 | SE 12 |
3 | 6 | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | 50 | 22 | 7 | 18 | 18 | 57 | 14 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | — | — | SW 3 | SSW 4 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SW 4 | — | — | SSW 3 | S 11 | SW 4 | SSW 3 | SW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
568 | — | — | 5 | 15 | 211 | 307 | 6 | — | — | 6 | 344 | 10 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 95 | 2 | 2 | 166 | 170 | 175 | 175 | 225 | 2 | 4 | 218 | 227 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 169 | 4 | 13 | 91 | 15 |
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.











