Surf Forecasts:
Whangara surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 18s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, S swell with 2,991 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 18s period with S 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 18s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whangara in the next 16 days are 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) 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 4.5m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whangara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Whangara.
Right now, the surf’s pretty flat and not worth paddling out for. Tuesday 1st September and the first half of Wednesday 2nd are a write-off – small, messy, and cross-shore winds making a chop of things. We’ve got a run of days with almost nothing on the cards through the rest of that first week, with poor surf conditions hanging around from Thursday 3rd right through to Tuesday 8th September. That’s nearly a week of flat, tiny dribble – not worth wetting a wetsuit for.
Things finally start looking up on Wednesday 9th September. That morning, Whangara (a beach and reef setup, fairly exposed to ENE) lights up with a solid 10 ft south swell rolling in, period at 12 seconds – proper groundswell energy. The combined energy reading of 3506 points to some serious grunt. Wind is offshore from the west at just 3 mph, so it’ll be glassy clean. This is one for experienced surfers only – that size is well over 8 ft and demanding. The long period means the waves will have plenty of push, and the offshore wind will keep the faces perfect. This is the standout of the whole outlook. Best to get out early before the afternoon cross-shore picks up and messes with it a bit.
Thursday 10th September holds up well too. Morning brings 7 ft south-southeast swell with a 11-second period, offshore from the west-northwest at 12 mph. Combined energy sits at 1136 – moderate to strong. Water temperature is around 56°, which is about 1° below the norm for this time of year, so nothing too unusual – just your typical late-winter chill. The afternoon cleans up nicely with light north winds, making for decent clean surf straight through.
Friday 11th September still offers 6 ft south-southeast swell in the morning, offshore flow with light winds and clean conditions. Combined energy 596. By the afternoon, the cross-shore picks up from the northeast and things get a bit lumpy, so aim for the early session.
Saturday 12th September has 4 ft south-southeast swell in the morning, clean with light cross-offshore wind, and combined energy 385. It’s smaller but still rideable for a variety of skill levels. The afternoon gets a bit messy with a cross-off breeze and 6 ft of SE swell, but it’s worth a look if you’re keen.
After that, the quality drops again from Sunday 13th September onward, with rain, onshore winds, and choppy conditions making it tough going. The swell sticks around at times, but the wind shifts and short periods make it more of a kite surfing prospect than a paddle session. There’s a flicker on the final day – Wednesday 16th September afternoon shows 8 ft of south swell with a very long 15-second period, but northeast cross-shore winds at 12 mph will leave it lumpy; combined energy 2431 is strong, but the conditions fight it.
All in all, bank on Wednesday 9th September as the real standout – a classic clean, heavy groundswell day for the experienced crew. Thursday 10th and Friday 11th mornings are your solid back-ups.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 6°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | S 18 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 15 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 18 | N 7 | N 9 | SSW 6 | N 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
49 | 33 | 31 | 515 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 27 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 30 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 240 | 41 | 239 | 16 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:59PM1.50m | 9:25AM1.48m | 9:46PM1.50m | 10:13AM1.50m | 10:35PM1.49m | 11:04AM1.51m | 11:27PM1.48m | 11:59AM1.52m | 00:23AM1.46m | 12:56PM1.52m | 1:22AM1.45m | 1:57PM1.53m | 2:23AM1.44m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:53PM0.17m | 3:20AM0.14m | 3:41PM0.16m | 4:06AM0.13m | 4:31PM0.17m | 4:54AM0.13m | 5:23PM0.17m | 5:46AM0.13m | 6:17PM0.18m | 6:41AM0.14m | 7:15PM0.19m | 7:38AM0.14m | 8:15PM0.18m | ||||||||
6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
Feels °C | 4 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | N 7 | NNE 6 | N 9 | N 9 |
2154 | 2119 | 3674 | 2232 | 1359 | 2197 | 986 | 633 | 276 | 151 | 106 | 30 | 42 | 58 | 86 | 100 | 65 | 120 | 28 | 64 | 16 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | S 18 | S 17 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NNE 4 | S 9 | ENE 10 | NE 4 | ENE 10 | S 18 | SSW 10 | N 9 | NE 9 | — |
49 | 33 | 31 | 515 | 1311 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 41 | 3 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 11 | — | NE 9 | NE 9 | N 11 | SE 12 | N 11 | SE 11 | — | SE 11 | N 8 | NNE 5 | S 15 | ENE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | E 17 | — |
6 | 5 | — | 13 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 5 | — | 5 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 28 | 6 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | — | — | — | NNE 8 | — | — | NE 10 | N 7 | N 3 | N 4 | WSW 2 | WNW 3 | NNE 2 | NNE 4 | N 4 | NNE 6 | N 7 | WNW 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 11 |
3462 | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | 27 | 8 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 148 | 240 | 11 | 239 | 3042 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 40 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 32 | 95 | 64 | 11 | 11 | 65 | 0 | 51 | 95 | 40 |
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.











