Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Whangara Surf Guide

Whangara in Gisborne is a fairly exposed beach and reef break that has pretty consitent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the northwest. Groundswells are more common than windswells and the ideal swell direction is from the east northeast. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around mid tide when the tide is falling. Sometimes crowded. Beware of rips and rocks.

Whangara Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	4	fairly consistent	16.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Whangara:

The best conditions reported for surf at Whangara occur when a East-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Whangara (for consistent clean waves)?

augustBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Whangara with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 29% of the time in August while 34% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 37% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

29%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

34%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

37%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Whangara Location Map

Interactive Whangara 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 Whangara is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 22 km (14 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Whangara is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 135 km (84 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Whangara Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 14:29 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05			Wed
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE
Period (s)	9	9	9	9
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off	off

What does Whangara look like?

Latest photos from Whangara. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Whangara

Current tide and informaton

For Pouawa Beach, 8 km from Whangara.

Next High Water: 08:46pm | 1.45m

Next Low Water: 02:35pm | 0.24m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Whangara Sea Temperature

The water temperature at Whangara is rather cool (16.7 °C) and the air temperature will feel similar. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit and neoprene boots.