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Whakatane Heads Surf Forecast
/ Bay of Plenty (18 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Whakatane Heads surfForecast / Bay of Plenty / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Friday 22 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Whakatane Heads surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Whakatane Heads sea temperature is
17.4° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whakatane Heads this week:
The surf forecast for Whakatane Heads over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (May 22) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whakatane Heads in the next 16 days are 1.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Sunday (May 24) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Fri 22nd May) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 23rd May) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sun 24th May) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whakatane Heads over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wednesday 27 | Thursday 28 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
NE 8 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | |
118 | 167 | 177 | 192 | 268 | 307 | 243 | 170 | 173 | 118 | 119 | 128 | 128 | 147 | 122 | 87 | 81 | 67 | 47 | 32 | 21 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | off | glassy | glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | off | |
High Tide | 11:00AM1.90m | 11:43PM1.96m | 11:56AM1.82m | 00:38AM1.90m | 12:57PM1.74m | 1:32AM1.83m | 1:59PM1.70m | 2:26AM1.76m | 2:57PM1.68m | 3:20AM1.72m | 3:54PM1.68m | 4:13AM1.70m | 4:48PM1.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:26PM0.29m | 6:09AM0.42m | 6:20PM0.36m | 7:07AM0.42m | 7:18PM0.44m | 8:02AM0.41m | 8:18PM0.49m | 8:56AM0.41m | 9:18PM0.51m | 9:50AM0.41m | 10:15PM0.50m | 10:45AM0.41m | 11:07PM0.49m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:09 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — |
 | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:01 | — |
— | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 |
 kJ | 118 | 167 | 177 | 192 | 268 | 307 | 243 | 170 | 173 | 118 | 119 | 128 | 128 | 147 | 122 | 87 | 81 | 67 | 47 | 32 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | — | N 11 | N 11 | NNE 7 | NW 11 | NNW 11 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 49 | 5 | 37 | 102 | 96 | 118 | 118 | 57 | 64 | 39 | 32 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 9 | — | — | NNW 11 | N 10 | N 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 10 | WNW 2 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 37 | 53 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 2 | — | — | SSE 2 | — | SE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 2 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 96 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 61 | 61 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Bay of Plenty | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Whakatane Heads surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Whakatane Heads Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Whakatane Heads provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whakatane Heads can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whakatane Heads 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 (Whakatane Heads) 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 Whakatane Heads 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Bay of Plenty? If you are looking for accommodation near Whakatane Heads, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Bay of Plenty, consider staying in Whakatane which is 2 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around Bay of Plenty where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Rotorua which is 70 km (43 miles) away and Tauranga, 79 km (49 miles) away.
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