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Whale Watch Reef surfForecast / Kaikoura and Marlborough / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Sunday 17 Aug 2025 NZST
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
10.2° C
 (Which is 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 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 17) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Whale Watch Reef in the next 12 days are 0.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 18) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 5.0m 11s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 19) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Sun 17th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 9s
Best Surf 3PM (Sun 17th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 9s
Most Powerful 9AM (Mon 18th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Watch Reef over the next 12 days.

Hourly12 Days
Kaikoura and Marlborough Surf
Print Surf Table
Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 

Short Range Forecast Moderate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun morning, min 4°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the SW by Tue afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Thu morning, min 5°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
17
Monday
18
Tuesday
19
Wednesday
20
Thursday
21
Friday
22
Saturday
23
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.4
NNE
0.6
ENE
0.7
ENE
0.9
ENE
0.8
ENE
0.6
ENE
0.4
ENE
0.3
ENE
0.2
ENE
0.1
NE
2.4
SSW
2.5
SSW
0.1
E
1.6
SE
1.3
SSW
1.1
S
1
S
0.8
SSW
0.2
E
0.7
NE
0.8
NE
Period(s) (?)69788981010109991114141415734
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy (?)125348111926528191040020000041120
Wind
(km/h)
5
WNW
5
SE
10
WSW
5
NE
5
ESE
20
W
35
WSW
40
SW
30
SW
25
WSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
20
SSW
15
S
10
SSW
10
WNW
5
SSE
5
WNW
5
NNE
10
ENE
10
N
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
glassglassoffonglasscross-
off		offoffoffoffoffoffoffcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		glasscross-
off		ononcross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
11:05AM
2.05
11:35PM
1.95
12:02PM
2.05
12:31AM
1.94
12:58PM
2.05
1:26AM
1.94
1:51PM
2.04
2:19AM
1.94
2:43PM
2.03
3:10AM
1.94
3:34PM
2.02
3:58AM
1.94
4:24PM
2.00
Low Tide
/ height (m)
5:27PM
0.53
5:49AM
0.45
6:28PM
0.52
6:42AM
0.45
7:23PM
0.49
7:34AM
0.44
8:13PM
0.46
8:27AM
0.42
9:02PM
0.44
9:21AM
0.40
9:52PM
0.43
10:15AM
0.38
10:44PM
0.43
Sunday
17
Monday
18
Tuesday
19
Wednesday
20
Thursday
21
Friday
22
Saturday
23
Sunrise7:15--7:13--7:11--7:11--7:09--7:07--7:05--
Sunset-5:43--5:44--5:45--5:45--5:47--5:49--5:50-
cloudcloudpart cloudpart cloudcloudpart cloudlight rainheavy rainrain showerspart cloudpart cloudcloudpart cloudpart cloudpart cloudclearclearpart cloudpart cloudpart cloudpart cloud
Rain (mm)
------3132------------
Temp. °C12111011121176578899999710108
Feels °C (?)9877106-2-3-3133556775775
  • 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

Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for Kaikoura and Marlborough

  1. weather stationWind Update Continuing clean conditions at Whale Watch Reef (light winds from the N at KaikouraAws 3 km from Whale Watch Reef). A 0.8m windswell from the NE

    2 hours 29 minutes ago Whale Watch Reef
Expand
<
>
View all

2 h 29 min ago

6 km/h
N
Clean
Please reload the page to see if there are any updates.

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

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 12 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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