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Whale Watch Reef Surf Forecast
/ Kaikoura and Marlborough (12 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Whale Watch Reef surfForecast / Kaikoura and Marlborough / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Saturday 23 May 2026 NZSTForecast 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
13.2° C
(Which is 1.0°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whale Watch Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Whale Watch Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (May 25) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whale Watch Reef in the next 16 days are 1.1m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (May 25) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 17s period and expected on Friday (May 29) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Mon 25th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Mon 25th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 25th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Watch Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wednesday 27 | Thursday 28 | Friday 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 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
NE 5 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 17 | |
4 | 6 | 31 | 25 | 23 | 263 | 71 | 71 | 57 | 56 | 58 | 53 | 81 | 73 | 78 | 68 | 38 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 0 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
off | on | on | cross-on | on | on | off | glassy | off | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | off | cross-on | cross-on | on | |
High Tide | 10:10AM2.00m | 10:39PM2.01m | 11:03AM1.95m | 11:33PM1.95m | 11:56AM1.90m | 00:25AM1.90m | 12:50PM1.87m | 1:16AM1.87m | 1:43PM1.87m | 2:05AM1.85m | 2:34PM1.89m | 2:55AM1.83m | 3:22PM1.92m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:20PM0.39m | 4:57AM0.44m | 5:15PM0.45m | 5:52AM0.48m | 6:10PM0.52m | 6:43AM0.51m | 7:07PM0.59m | 7:31AM0.55m | 8:04PM0.63m | 8:17AM0.58m | 8:56PM0.66m | 9:03AM0.62m | 9:44PM0.67m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | |
 | 7:35 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — |
 | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:01 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 16 | S 15 | S 17 |
 kJ | 192 | 188 | 666 | 765 | 714 | 1010 | 1014 | 888 | 704 | 480 | 464 | 971 | 2293 | 1656 | 1001 | 956 | 1463 | 1645 | 1609 | 4426 | 7051 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 5 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | — |
| kJ | 4 | 6 | 31 | 25 | 23 | 76 | 71 | 71 | 57 | 56 | 58 | 49 | 81 | 73 | 78 | 68 | 38 | 35 | 20 | 10 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | NE 5 | SE 12 | ENE 13 | ENE 12 | — | ENE 4 | NE 5 | NE 6 | N 5 | NE 5 | ENE 12 | — | — | NE 5 | NNE 4 | — | — | S 12 | — | — |
| kJ | 5 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 14 | — | 12 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 53 | — | — | 11 | 3 | — | — | 3 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | — | — | — | NE 2 | NE 11 | NE 4 | — | — | SSW 3 | S 4 | — | — | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | SSW 4 | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | — | — | — | 2 | 263 | 21 | — | — | 2 | 7 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 25 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 88 | 25 | 88 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kaikoura and Marlborough | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 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.
Information about the Whale Watch Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Whale Watch Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whale Watch Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whale Watch Reef 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 (Whale Watch Reef) 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 Whale Watch Reef 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.
Whale Watch Reef is 101 km (63 miles) from the city of Blenheim. If you plan a holiday in Kaikoura and Marlborough, look for hotels and other accommodation in Blenheim. Blenheim has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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