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Surf Forecasts:

Whale Watch Reef surfForecast / Kaikoura and Marlborough / New Zealand

information circle48hr Weather and Surf, issued 12 pm Friday 20 Mar 2026 NZDT
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Whale Watch Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Whale Watch Reef sea temperature is
16.0° C
 (Which is 1.1°C warmer than normal for this time of year)

How big are the waves at Whale Watch Reef today?

The current surf forecast for Whale Watch Reef at 4PM is: 1.7m 12s primary swell from a East-northeast direction (forecast issued at 12:00pm March 20). An open ocean swell of 0.3m 13s is not directed at the surf break, a second open ocean swell of 0.8m 9s is not directed at the surf break. The wind direction is predicted to be cross-offshore.

Time (NZDT) & DateWave HeightWave Period
Morning (20 Mar)3.5ft (1.0m)12s
Afternoon (20 Mar)5.5ft (1.7m)12s
Evening (20 Mar)6ft (1.9m)12s

Table - waves today at Whale Watch Reef. (Swell directed towards the surf break)

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
16 DaysHourly
Print Table
Friday
20
Saturday
21
Sunday
22
Monday
23
10 AM1 PM4 PM7 PM10 PM1 AM4 AM7 AM10 AM1 PM4 PM7 PM10 PM1 AM4 AM7 AM10 AM1 PM4 PM7 PM10 PM1 AM4 AM7 AM
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1
ENE
1.5
ENE
1.7
ENE
1.8
ENE
1.9
ENE
2
ENE
2
ENE
1.8
ENE
1.7
E
1.7
E
1.6
E
1.6
E
1.1
E
0.9
ENE
0.9
ENE
0.8
ENE
0.8
ENE
0.7
ENE
0.6
E
0.6
E
0.5
E
0.5
E
0.5
E
0.4
ENE
Period(s) (?)12121212121111111110101010111010101010109999
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)278616847907934933916792669609514514265198177136136104716845434329
Wind
(km/h)
15
SW
15
SSW
20
S
10
S
10
SSW
10
SW
5
SSW
0
WSW
5
ESE
10
E
10
ENE
15
NE
15
NE
10
NE
10
NNE
5
NNE
5
ESE
5
ESE
5
ESE
5
E
5
NE
0
NNE
5
N
10
NNE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
offoffcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		offglassglassglasscross-
on		cross-
on		onononononglasscross-
on		cross-
on		glassglassglassglasson
High Tide
/ height (m)
6:36PM
2.01
6:59AM
2.04
7:31PM
2.06
7:55AM
2.03
8:27PM
2.10
Low Tide
/ height (m)
12:29PM
0.41
12:50AM
0.39
1:18PM
0.40
1:42AM
0.40
2:10PM
0.40
2:38AM
0.43
Friday
20
Saturday
21
Sunday
22
Monday
23
Sunrise--------7:26-------7:28-------
Sunset---7:37-------7:36-------7:35----
cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
------------------------
Temp. °C131414131313121213151514131313131516171514141313
Feels °C (?)111111111212111213131311111111121515161514141211
  • 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

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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 Whale Watch Reef 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 Whale Watch Reef at:
surf-forecast.com

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