Whangamoa Surf Forecast and Surf Reports
(Nelson – Tasman Bay, New Zealand)
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Whangamoa Surf Guide
Whangamoa in Nelson is a reasonably exposed River Bar break that does not work very often. Spring and Summer provide the favoured conditions. The best wind direction is from the south southeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the north.. Rarely crowded here. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.
Whangamoa Spot Info
| Type: | Rating: | Reliability: | Todays Sea Temp*: |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sandbar |  3 | inconsistent | 16.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite |
Surfing Whangamoa:
The best conditions reported for surf at Whangamoa occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South-southeast.
What's the best time of year to surf Whangamoa (for consistent clean waves)?
Explore Whangamoa Location Map
Interactive Whangamoa surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Whangamoa is Nelson Airport (NSN) in New Zealand, 33 km (20 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Whangamoa is Woodbourne Airport (BHE), also in New Zealand, 55 km (34 miles) away.
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Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 10:18 Local Time
| Wednesday 06 | ||||
| 9AM | 12PM | 3PM | 6PM | |
| Wave (m) | ||||
| Period (s) | 3 | 16 | 5 | 5 |
| Wind (km/h) | ||||
| Wind State | cross | cross- on |
on | on |
Tides at Whangamoa
| NEXT | IS AT (local time) | remaining |
|---|---|---|
| high tide | ||
| low tide |
Swell History at Whangamoa
Surf stats for Whangamoa, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.
Wind History at Whangamoa
Wind stats for Whangamoa, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.
Whangamoa Reviews:
Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.
- Overall:3.0
- Quality on a good day:
2.0 - Consistency of Surf:2.5
- Difficulty Level:3.0
- Wind and Kite Surfing:
1.0 - Crowds:
4.5
Access is the big negative for Whangamoa. After several years of being closed due to logging operations it was available to surfers once again in 2008. The logging track was in good shape when we visted and we did not need 4WD but this may change and in any case 4WD would be safer after heavy rain.
We couldn't find any paths down from the dirt road and so it was a bit of a bush bash through the Manuka and on steep ground it would be really easy to slip and ding your board. The last bit, a steep scramble in Gorse, Flax, long grass and eventually rock was a bit exposed too. I don't know if there is a better path down to the beach or whether it has simply become overgrown during the 2 years when Whangamoa was out of bounds.
We had a very light onshore when we were there but the wave quality was pretty good considering. Quite a powerful and heavy wave breaks in front of the rivermouth but when we were there it was not as good as Delaware Bay (it probably varies a lot with the shape of the bar). Even so, well worth a visit, especially when the other Nelson breaks are a bit small. A stunningly beautiful spot for a weekend camping trip. Take fishing rod.”
Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:
Discover surf breaks near Whangamoa. Click below to view there surf guides.
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