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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 5 pm Wednesday 29 Apr 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
18.4° 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 Thursday (Apr 30) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. 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 1.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 07) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Apr 30) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Thu 7th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Thu 7th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whakatane Heads over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 1 | Saturday 2 | Sunday 3 | Monday 4 | Tuesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
N 13 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 12 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 6 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 9 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | NE 9 | NE 9 | |
55 | 75 | 56 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 26 | 46 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 61 | 55 | 33 | 73 | 48 | 138 | 148 | 138 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | off | on | off | off | glassy | off | off | glassy | off | off | glassy | off | off | |
High Tide | 5:15PM1.68m | 5:33AM1.70m | 6:06PM1.72m | 6:18AM1.70m | 6:53PM1.75m | 7:01AM1.70m | 7:35PM1.78m | 7:42AM1.69m | 8:16PM1.79m | 8:23AM1.68m | 8:54PM1.78m | 9:04AM1.67m | 9:32PM1.77m | 9:44AM1.65m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:33PM0.41m | 12:04PM0.33m | 00:24AM0.39m | 12:51PM0.30m | 1:10AM0.39m | 1:33PM0.28m | 1:54AM0.40m | 2:13PM0.29m | 2:35AM0.42m | 2:50PM0.32m | 3:15AM0.44m | 3:26PM0.36m | 3:55AM0.47m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 |
 | 5:27 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:20 | — | 5:19 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 18 |
15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 7 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 9 | NNE 5 | N 11 | NE 9 | NE 9 |
 kJ | 34 | 75 | 56 | 40 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 26 | 46 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 61 | 55 | 33 | 73 | 19 | 2 | 148 | 138 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 13 | NNW 12 | NNW 12 | N 12 | N 12 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 8 | N 12 | N 12 | N 14 | N 13 | N 13 | N 12 | N 12 | NE 10 | N 11 | ENE 8 | — | N 10 | N 10 |
| kJ | 55 | 28 | 48 | 26 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 48 | — | 2 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 16 | N 15 | NNE 15 | NE 15 | NE 9 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 15 | N 15 | N 10 | N 11 | N 11 | — | — | N 12 | — | N 11 | — | N 10 | N 10 |
| kJ | 25 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 11 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 2 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 8 | — | ESE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 138 | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 47 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 76 | 81 | 81 | 61 | 5 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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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