Whangamata Estuary Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.23° S 175.89° E

Whangamata Estuary Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 23 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Whangamata Estuary sea temperature is
15.0° C
0.1° 

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 23 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, NNW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, NNW swell with 369 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period with NNW 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Whangamata Estuary in the next 16 days are 1.9m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3AM (Sat 25th Jul)6ft (1.9m) 7s
Best Surf 3AM (Sat 25th Jul)6ft (1.9m) 7s
Most Powerful 3AM (Sat 25th Jul)6ft (1.9m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Whangamata Estuary over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, mate, it’s a pretty bleak run. We’ve got a solid gap of flat, poor, or just unsurfable conditions stretching from now, Thursday the 23rd of July, all the way through to the tail end of next week. That first sniff of anything barely rideable doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 29th of July, and even then, it’s only just enough to get wet.

The real story is the lack of any proper swell. Most of this period is plagued by tiny waves—mostly 0.7ft to 1.3ft—with a few pulses that barely touch 3.3ft. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is pretty much spot-on for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Let’s break it down. Thursday and Friday the 23rd and 24th are totally flat, just ankle-slappers if that. Over the weekend, Saturday the 25th sees a jump in energy (combined energy 253), with a 3.3ft north swell but a strong 19 mph offshore wind. Sounds good in theory, but the recorded surf quality is still poor. Sunday the 26th goes glassy but tiny at 1.3ft. We then drift through Monday and Tuesday with nothing but 1.3ft to 1.6ft dribble.

Wednesday the 29th is the first time the forecast doesn’t say “poor.” It’s still only 1.6ft from the east with a 13-second period and glassy conditions, so it’ll be surfable but very, very ordinary. That’s the only real flicker of life for a week. Thursday the 30th is more of the same.

Friday the 31st of July sees a bump in size—3.3ft in the morning, climbing to 5.2ft in the afternoon—but it’s short period (6 seconds) and coming from the NNW, which is not the optimum ENE direction for this break. The energy is solid (342), but the quality is marginal at best, with light rain around.

Then we hit another dead spot. Saturday the 1st of August through Tuesday the 4th sees the swell drop back to 0.7ft to 2.3ft, with onshore or cross-shore winds messing up any chance of a clean wave. The combined energy is weak, staying below 80.

The only standout in the whole 16-day window is Wednesday the 5th of August. Now that’s a morning session to keep an eye on. We’ve got a 4.6ft east swell with a 7-second period, a clean cross-off wind from the SW at 9 mph, and a combined energy of 270. The forecast even says “expect good surf conditions.” That is, without a doubt, the best on offer. After that, the afternoon goes choppy again, and Thursday the 6th fades back into poor cross-shore junk.

So, if you’re hanging for a wave, circle Wednesday the 5th of August and be ready for the morning glass-off. Everything else is a write-off or barely a paddle.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Sat afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue afternoon, min 5°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
E
5
0.2
E
7
0.4
ENE
6
0.4
ENE
6
0.5
E
9
1.9
NNW
7
1
N
8
0.7
E
11
0.5
E
11
0.4
E
11
0.4
E
10
0.3
ESE
13
0.4
ESE
12
0.4
ESE
13
0.5
E
14
0.4
ESE
14
0.4
ESE
14
0.4
ESE
14
0.5
E
13
0.5
E
13
0.4
ESE
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
5
3
13
14
39
338
127
121
58
35
33
32
49
58
100
63
61
61
90
87
52
Wind (km/h)
5
S
0
ENE
5
W
10
NNW
25
NNW
20
WNW
30
WSW
35
WSW
15
WSW
0
SSW
5
S
10
SSE
10
WSW
15
WSW
10
SSW
10
SW
5
SW
5
SW
5
WSW
5
NNW
5
W
Wind State
glassy
glassy
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
glassy
glassy
off
High Tide
1:54PM1.57m
2:06AM1.56m
2:47PM1.54m
2:58AM1.52m
3:39PM1.53m
3:50AM1.50m
4:31PM1.54m
4:41AM1.50m
5:20PM1.57m
5:30AM1.52m
6:07PM1.61m
6:17AM1.55m
6:51PM1.66m
Low Tide
7:57PM0.47m
8:24AM0.37m
8:50PM0.52m
9:14AM0.41m
9:43PM0.55m
10:05AM0.42m
10:36PM0.54m
10:56AM0.40m
11:28PM0.52m
11:45AM0.37m
00:17AM0.48m
12:32PM0.33m
1:04AM0.43m
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
light rain
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:22
7:22
7:20
7:20
7:20
7:18
7:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:22
5:22
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:25
5:27
 mm
5
2
1
Temp °C
12
13
11
14
15
13
11
11
10
10
12
9
11
11
8
12
13
9
12
13
11
Feels °C
11
12
9
10
10
8
4
3
4
9
10
6
7
7
4
9
10
6
10
11
9
  • 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
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Whangamata Estuary:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Whangamata Estuary 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest