Snow-ForecastSnow-ForecastMountain-ForecastMountain-ForecastTide-ForecastTide-ForecastWeather-ForecastWeather-Forecast
Search by country, region, or break
Search by country, region, or break

Quick Links

Surf Forecasts:

Whakatane Heads surf break

Whakatane Heads surfForecast / Bay of Plenty / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 pm Friday 16 Jan 2026 NZDT
Forecast 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
21.9° C
 (Which is 2.0°C warmer than normal for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whakatane Heads this week:

The surf forecast for Whakatane Heads over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jan 17) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Whakatane Heads in the next 12 days are 2.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jan 22) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jan 22) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Sat 17th Jan)2.5ft (0.8m) 7s
Best Surf 7AM (Thu 22nd Jan)8ft (2.4m) 11s
Most Powerful 1PM (Thu 22nd Jan)8ft (2.5m) 15s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whakatane Heads over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 23°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
2
4
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.2
N
0.8
NE
0.8
NE
1
NE
1.1
NE
1
NE
0.7
NE
0.7
NE
0.7
NE
0.8
NE
0.9
ENE
1.2
ENE
1
ENE
1
ENE
1.2
ENE
1.2
ENE
1.4
ENE
1.8
ENE
2.2
NNW
2.4
N
1.7
N
Period(s) (?)6679988998889999910161412
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)9246601521931366974747811419315716822121632664823102229883
Wind
(km/h)
10
N
15
N
10
SW
10
ESE
10
NNE
20
SSE
25
SE
25
SE
20
SE
25
SE
25
ESE
25
SE
20
SE
10
NE
20
SE
10
E
15
N
10
E
15
E
25
NE
40
NE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
ononcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
off		crossoncrosscrosscross-
on		cross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
5:52PM
1.63
6:46AM
1.71
6:43PM
1.66
7:31AM
1.74
7:31PM
1.70
8:11AM
1.77
8:15PM
1.73
8:50AM
1.80
8:56PM
1.75
9:30AM
1.82
9:36PM
1.75
10:10AM
1.83
10:17PM
1.74
Low Tide
/ height (m)
12:08PM
0.64
12:31AM
0.50
12:56PM
0.61
1:16AM
0.47
1:42PM
0.56
1:58AM
0.42
2:26PM
0.50
2:40AM
0.37
3:10PM
0.44
3:21AM
0.31
3:54PM
0.39
4:02AM
0.27
4:37PM
0.33
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Sunrise6:05--6:07--6:07--6:09--6:09--6:11--6:11--
Sunset-8:35--8:35--8:35--8:34--8:34--8:32--8:32-
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
heavy rain
Rain (mm)
5---1---------------15
Temp. °C232320212117202116202117212117191918202020
Feels °C (?)232221202112141611141612181812161616161615
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Latest Updates

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves
Ben Mondy

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves

Huntington, Dribbleton, Virginia, Holland and the Superbank! We recently had a look at the world’s most consistent waves. This was based on the combination of swells and wind directed at 7,000 surf spots, as compiled from our data since 2006. Those stats, represented in easy-to-read graphics, are located under each wave’s spot guides, with historical swell and wind breakdowns available by month, season, and year. There is also an offshore filter, which shows how often the swells come with clean

Read more

Read more

Discover more articles and updates in the Greenroom.

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Whakatane Heads:

join our community of surf reporters

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.

View detailed surf forecast for Whakatane Heads at:
surf-forecast.com

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 12 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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest