
Surf Forecasts:
Whangara surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 7 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, S swell with 2,614 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whangara this week:
The surf forecast for Whangara over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whangara in the next 16 days are 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 10s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whangara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Whangara has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.
It’s a bit of a mixed bag on the horizon. We’ve got a solid pulse of south swell coming through this weekend, but the real standout looks like it’ll be a few days later, with a good-sized north-northeast swell and clean offshore winds. There’s a bit of a gap in quality surf after that, so keep your eyes peeled for the better windows.
The water temperature at Whangara is sitting at 57°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.
We kick off proper on Friday morning, August 7th. It’s looking clean with a 6ft swell from the south, a 10-second period, and a light offshore wind from the west-northwest. The combined energy is pumping at 1712, so there’s plenty of push. This is one for experienced surfers, but it’ll be well-shaped and lined up.
Saturday morning, August 8th, is another beauty. A 7ft south swell, 13-second period, clean offshore winds again, and energy at 1796. This is top-tier stuff for Whangara – solid, clean, and powerful. This is the best on offer, hands down.
By Sunday morning, August 9th, the swell drops to 5ft from the south-southeast, but it’s still clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. The energy is down to 729, but it’ll be fun and user-friendly. The wind holds for the afternoon, too, as the swell fades to 3ft.
Monday morning, August 10th, it goes glassy with a 3ft south swell, but the energy is low at 368. It’s small but clean. After that, we hit a lull. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings offer tiny, glassy waves (3ft to 5ft), but nothing to write home about, and the afternoons get choppy.
Then we get a second pulse. Saturday morning, August 15th, a 8ft north-northeast swell with a 9-second period rolls in, and the energy is a solid 962. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean. By Saturday afternoon, the wind swings offshore from the north-northwest, and the swell is 8ft. This is a big one, so it’s for the experienced crew only. It'll be powerful and hollow.
After that, it drops off again. There’s a small window of clean, offshore wind on Sunday, August 16th, but the swell is only 4ft to 4ft. Then things go quiet. The following week, we get a massive storm pulse on Tuesday, August 18th, with a 20ft south swell, but the wind is a howling 45 km/h cross-onshore, so it’s an absolute mess. The energy hits 11826, but it’s only good for kite surfers, not paddle surfing. The same goes for Wednesday and Thursday – too much swell and wind to be rideable.
The final look-in is Friday morning, August 21st, with a 5ft east-southeast swell, a 11-second period, and light cross-offshore wind. The energy is 619. It’s a salvageable session, but nothing like the weekend before.
So, the standout is clearly Saturday, August 8th, and the runner-up is Saturday, August 15th, for the big-wave crew. Get out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 6°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 13 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | N 8 | SSE 9 | NNE 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
560 | 430 | 755 | 1675 | 2122 | 1298 | 1194 | 759 | 478 | 390 | 475 | 233 | 167 | 125 | 239 | 190 | 158 | 266 | 131 | 90 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | off | cross | off | off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | glassy | cross | off |
High Tide | 11:44PM1.46m | 12:16PM1.46m | 00:38AM1.46m | 1:13PM1.49m | 1:36AM1.46m | 2:12PM1.52m | 2:36AM1.47m | 3:13PM1.56m | 3:37AM1.49m | 4:13PM1.59m | 4:38AM1.51m | 5:12PM1.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:38PM0.22m | 6:05AM0.16m | 6:32PM0.21m | 6:58AM0.15m | 7:28PM0.20m | 7:54AM0.13m | 8:28PM0.19m | 8:52AM0.11m | 9:29PM0.16m | 9:52AM0.09m | 10:31PM0.13m | 10:52AM0.06m | 11:31PM0.09m | |||||||
— | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 16 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 13 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | NE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 |
560 | 541 | 755 | 1675 | 2122 | 1298 | 1194 | 759 | 478 | 381 | 475 | 233 | 167 | 125 | 239 | 190 | 129 | 134 | 131 | 90 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 14 | SSE 10 | SE 13 | S 10 | SE 11 | SSE 16 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | NE 12 | NNE 9 | NNE 7 | NE 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 |
116 | 430 | 357 | 509 | 97 | 412 | 41 | 17 | 239 | 390 | 6 | 129 | 48 | 25 | 61 | 72 | 158 | 197 | 131 | 69 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 17 | SE 13 | S 17 | SE 12 | NE 14 | SE 12 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | E 12 | E 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | ESE 14 | SE 13 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | S 18 | S 12 | S 11 |
11 | 380 | 600 | 244 | 8 | 86 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 78 | 65 | 72 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 38 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | N 3 | — | N 3 | N 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | — | — |
1144 | 712 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 5 | 197 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 266 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 107 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Whangara Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Whangara provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whangara can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whangara 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 (Whangara) 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 Whangara 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Gisborne and Mahia? If you are looking for accommodation near Whangara, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Gisborne and Mahia, consider staying in Gisborne which is 22 km (14 miles) away.











