Surf Forecasts:
Whakatane Heads surf forecast from 22 Oct 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 28 Oct, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 27 Oct, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 7s period, NNW swell with 418 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 25 Oct, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s period with WNW swell.
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 Sunday (Oct 25) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whakatane Heads in the next 16 days are 2.1m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Oct 27) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Oct 26) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 25th Oct) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 28th Oct) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 27th Oct) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whakatane Heads over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 8°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Sun night, fresh winds from the NW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 23 | Saturday 24 | Sunday 25 | Monday 26 | Tuesday 27 | Wednesday 28 | Thursday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 5 | WNW 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 16 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 60 | 23 | 7 | 41 | 77 | 139 | 292 | 290 | 168 | 361 | 173 | 131 | 100 | 58 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:35AM1.60m | 5:13PM1.71m | 5:29AM1.64m | 5:58PM1.77m | 6:22AM1.71m | 6:43PM1.81m | 7:14AM1.78m | 7:30PM1.83m | 8:04AM1.86m | 8:22PM1.85m | 8:53AM1.92m | 9:15PM1.88m | 9:42AM1.95m | 10:07PM1.90m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:02AM0.53m | 11:37PM0.47m | 11:51AM0.49m | 00:28AM0.39m | 12:41PM0.46m | 1:17AM0.32m | 1:34PM0.42m | 2:05AM0.28m | 2:27PM0.37m | 2:53AM0.25m | 3:19PM0.34m | 3:41AM0.23m | 4:10PM0.32m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | |  | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:42 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 15 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NW 4 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NW 5 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | N 14 | N 14 | N 8 | N 13 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 168 | 4 | 173 | 131 | 100 | 58 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | N 11 | — | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 8 | N 12 | NE 11 | N 13 | N 13 | N 11 | N 10 | N 12 | N 12 | N 13 | — | N 13 | — | N 17 | N 12 |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | — | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | 3 | — | 6 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 11 | N 13 | NE 13 | N 11 | N 11 | NE 8 | N 10 | N 10 | E 12 | N 10 | E 11 | N 10 | N 12 | — | — | — | — | N 13 | — | — | NE 16 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 3 | — | WNW 4 | NW 5 | W 4 | WNW 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | W 3 | NNW 8 | W 4 | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 10 | 60 | 10 | 7 | 41 | 77 | 139 | 292 | 290 | 6 | 361 | 38 | 40 | 69 | 32 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 125 | 148 | 119 | 118 | 118 | 118 | 118 | 125 | 47 | 119 | 119 | 5 | 559 | 631 | 0 | 5 | 118 | 0 | 122 | 118 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Bay of Plenty | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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