
Surf Forecasts:
Whangamata Bar surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, NE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, NE swell with 321 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whangamata Bar this week:
The surf forecast for Whangamata Bar over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whangamata Bar in the next 16 days are 1.9m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whangamata Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Let’s be straight up – it’s a tough stretch ahead for Whangamata Bar. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with hardly anything that gets the heart pumping. The water temp is sitting around 15°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.
The first real sniff of anything comes on Thursday the 14th for the morning session, but don’t get too excited. We’ve got a 6ft NE windswell rolling in with a short 7 second period, and the wind is coming at us from the SSE – that’s a light cross-shore, but it’s still not ideal. The energy’s moderate at best (556). Honestly, it’s marginal. It’s a beach and bar setup here, so with that short-period swell, it’s going to be lumpy and hard to love. Might be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. The troughs between sets will be manageable for getting out, but the wave quality is gonna be pretty average.
After that, things don’t improve. Saturday the 16th afternoon has a little glassy moment with 3ft E swell and no wind at all, but it’s weak (137) and the waves are ordinary. Then Sunday morning the 17th sees a clean 3ft ENE swell with a light cross-offshore SSW breeze, which is about as good as it gets in this run – but again, it’s just surfable, not special. Crowds are sometimes a thing here, but honestly, with surf this average, I wouldn’t expect a crowd.
Then we hit a real dead zone. From Monday the 18th onwards, the swell drops away to tiny, weak stuff – 2ft, 1.0ft, even 0.7ft. The energy readings fall into the double digits (37, 29, 32… all weak). There’s a few glassy and clean mornings with offshore winds, especially around Wednesday the 20th and Friday the 22nd, but the waves are just too small to bother paddling out for. A couple of clean 0.3ft days with long-period groundswell showing up around the 23rd to the 26th, but that’s straight up flat.
We’ve got a solid 10-day gap of nothing worthwhile from mid-August onwards. This kind of blank run is pretty normal for this area when the swell window goes quiet. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.
Best bet? If you’re desperate, the Sunday morning (16th August) with that clean 3ft swell is the only thing that even comes close to a surf. But honestly, keep your expectations on the floor.
Rusty, signing out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Tue afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 4°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the SSE by Sun afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 6 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | SE 5 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
107 | 147 | 197 | 155 | 217 | 173 | 131 | 189 | 317 | 204 | 147 | 105 | 70 | 80 | 133 | 107 | 81 | 37 | 15 | 39 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | glassy | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:13PM1.84m | 5:33AM1.76m | 6:11PM1.90m | 6:31AM1.80m | 7:05PM1.96m | 7:27AM1.83m | 7:56PM1.98m | 8:19AM1.85m | 8:45PM1.97m | 9:10AM1.84m | 9:32PM1.93m | 9:59AM1.80m | 10:18PM1.86m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:29PM0.26m | 11:51AM0.10m | 00:29AM0.19m | 12:48PM0.06m | 1:25AM0.12m | 1:41PM0.04m | 2:17AM0.08m | 2:32PM0.05m | 3:06AM0.06m | 3:21PM0.09m | 3:52AM0.08m | 4:09PM0.16m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | |
5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 8 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | SE 6 |
107 | 147 | 197 | 155 | 217 | 173 | 131 | 144 | 233 | 204 | 147 | 105 | 70 | 80 | 133 | 107 | 81 | 37 | 15 | 15 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 12 | N 12 | E 14 | — | N 11 | E 16 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 7 | NE 9 | NE 8 | — | — | NE 7 | SE 5 | ESE 8 | E 9 |
— | — | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 64 | 58 | — | — | 2 | 7 | 14 | 24 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 13 | N 13 | — | — | — | E 10 | — | N 11 | N 11 | — | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | NE 8 |
3 | 3 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 4 | NE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | — | — | ESE 7 | — | — | SW 3 | SSE 4 | SE 6 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SE 5 |
— | 22 | 194 | 62 | 40 | 29 | 30 | 189 | 317 | — | — | 35 | — | — | 3 | 20 | 47 | 3 | 2 | 39 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 57 | 79 | 79 | 124 | 124 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 54 | 6 | 179 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Coromandel | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Whangamata Bar Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Whangamata Bar provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whangamata Bar can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whangamata Bar 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 (Whangamata Bar) 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 Whangamata Bar 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.
Whangamata Bar is 59 km (37 miles) from the city of Tauranga. If you plan a holiday in The Coromandel, look for hotels and other accommodation in Tauranga. Tauranga has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











