Whangamata Estuary Surf Break

Whangamata Estuary Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 37.23° S 175.89° E

Issued: 11 am 05 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Whangamata Estuary sea temperature is
15.4° C

Normal for this time of year

Whangamata Estuary surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Whangamata Estuary surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, NNE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, NE swell with 720 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period with NNE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whangamata Estuary this week:

The surf forecast for Whangamata Estuary over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Whangamata Estuary in the next 16 days are 2.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 3s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Wed 8th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 9s
Best Surf 6AM (Wed 8th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 9s
Most Powerful 9PM (Tue 7th Jul)7ft (2.2m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whangamata Estuary over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, let’s break down what’s on offer.

Well, the next couple of weeks are gonna be a mixed bag for sure. The standout window is actually the very first session we’ve got – Sunday morning, July 5th. That’s the pick of the whole run. We’ve got a clean 5 ft swell coming from the NNE with a 9 mph offshore breeze from the West. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, nothing unusual there. The wave energy is moderate at 375, but the combo of that clean offshore wind and the swell size makes for a really fun, surfable morning at Whangamata Estuary.

The only real caveat is that this spot can be inconsistent, and crowds are possible, so you’ll want to get out there early. That Sunday morning is your best chance for a proper session.

Moving into Sunday afternoon, the wind swings onshore and the swell drops, so it gets pretty marginal. Monday morning, July 6th, sees a bigger 7 ft swell from the North, which is now getting into the size that might be a bit much for beginners, but the wind is cross-offshore so it’ll still be clean. The wave energy jumps to 846, which is moderate-to-strong, but the period is only 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and lack the real punch of a longer period groundswell. Monday afternoon drops right off again.

From Tuesday morning, July 7th, through to the end of the first week and into the second, we hit a real flat spell. There are several days with barely any surfable energy. The swell shrinks to below 3 ft, often below 2 ft, and the combined energy drops into the double digits (like 34 or 31). It’s just not doing anything.

We do see a little glimmer on Wednesday morning, July 15th, with glassy conditions and a 1 ft swell, but the period is a very long 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, which tends to go pretty straight on a beach/bar setup. It’s not gonna produce much. The next morning, July 16th, has a tiny 1 ft ESE swell with offshore wind, but again, barely enough to ride.

Later, heading into the weekend of July 19th and into July 20th, a big pulse arrives. Monday morning, July 20th, shows a massive 12 ft NNE swell with fresh cross-shore winds at 22 mph, and the energy is a whopping 1747. By Monday afternoon, it’s 13 ft with 25 mph winds and energy at 2793. This is serious size – expert only territory, and honestly, with that much wind and a cross-shore direction, it’s going to be a messy, lumpy mess. That setup is way more interesting for the kite crew than for a paddle surfer.

So to sum it up: grab that small window Sunday morning, July 5th, for some clean, fun waves. The rest of the first week is poor, and the second week is a long, drawn-out flat spell with one big, stormy episode right at the end that’s only for the brave (or the kite surfers).

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Sun morning, fresh winds from the NNE by Sun night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.5
NNE
7
0.9
E
10
1
E
10
2.1
N
7
1.1
N
8
0.9
E
9
0.9
E
8
1.6
NNE
8
1.8
NNE
9
1.3
E
10
1.2
E
10
1.2
E
10
1
E
9
0.9
ESE
10
0.8
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.6
E
10
0.4
E
10
0.8
SE
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
200
162
202
448
137
127
116
318
500
327
268
284
171
160
121
94
94
94
74
30
31
Wind (km/h)
15
W
10
N
20
NNE
15
NNW
10
NNE
5
NE
20
NE
25
E
20
ESE
15
WSW
15
SW
15
S
15
SW
15
SW
15
SSW
20
SW
20
SSW
20
S
20
S
10
SSE
15
S
Wind State
off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
10:15AM1.56m
10:39PM1.71m
10:58AM1.55m
11:19PM1.70m
11:44AM1.56m
00:03AM1.70m
12:34PM1.58m
00:51AM1.69m
1:29PM1.61m
1:44AM1.70m
2:27PM1.65m
2:43AM1.71m
3:27PM1.71m
Low Tide
4:27PM0.31m
5:02AM0.34m
5:09PM0.34m
5:44AM0.32m
5:54PM0.36m
6:29AM0.29m
6:43PM0.38m
7:17AM0.27m
7:36PM0.38m
8:10AM0.23m
8:35PM0.37m
9:07AM0.20m
9:37PM0.35m
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
light rain
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:30
7:30
7:30
7:30
7:28
7:28
7:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:10
5:10
5:12
5:12
5:13
5:14
5:14
 mm
17
1
1
10
3
1
Temp °C
14
15
14
13
14
12
14
14
14
13
14
12
15
14
11
14
14
10
11
13
8
Feels °C
13
13
8
10
11
9
9
9
9
10
11
10
11
11
8
9
9
6
6
9
3
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.5
NNE
7
1.1
NNE
7
1
E
10
1.7
NNE
7
1.1
N
8
1.1
NNE
7
0.9
E
8
0.8
E
9
1.8
NNE
9
1.4
NNE
9
1.2
E
10
1.2
E
10
1
E
9
0.9
ESE
10
0.8
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.6
E
10
0.4
E
10
0.3
E
9
Energy kJ
200
110
202
273
137
127
116
102
500
300
268
284
171
160
121
94
94
94
74
30
16
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
E
10
0.9
E
10
0.8
E
10
0.9
NE
7
0.9
E
9
0.9
N
8
0.1
NE
8
0.7
E
9
1.3
E
10
1.2
NNE
9
0.9
NE
8
0.6
NE
8
0.4
NE
8
0.2
SSE
5
0.1
N
14
0.6
SSE
5
0.1
N
12
0.3
E
7
Energy kJ
175
162
125
84
119
92
3
85
327
197
100
40
21
2
4
18
3
9
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
E
10
0.9
E
8
0.8
NE
7
0.3
E
12
0.9
N
9
Energy kJ
128
112
69
26
129
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
NNE
6
2.1
N
7
1.6
NNE
8
1.2
ESE
6
0.4
SSW
4
0.8
S
4
0.5
SW
3
0.4
SW
3
0.8
SSE
5
1
S
5
0.6
SE
5
0.6
SE
5
0.8
SE
5
Energy kJ
55
448
318
115
5
18
4
3
32
49
21
14
31
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
4
2
1
2
1
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
0
20
158
125
64
25
77
106
51
0
0
51
0
2
0
2
51
49
59
26
26
Best forecast wave conditions in The Coromandel
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
3
3
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand
Rating
(10 max)
2
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
4
5
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
9
7
5
6
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
5
5
5
8
7
6
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Whangamata Estuary Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Whangamata Estuary provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whangamata Estuary can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whangamata Estuary 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 Estuary) 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 Estuary 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 Estuary is 56 km (35 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.

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