Whangara Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.58° S 178.21° E

Whangara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 19 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Whangara sea temperature is
13.5° C
0.7° 

Whangara surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Whangara surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, S swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, SE swell with 840 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period with ESE 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s 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 2.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) 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 11s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Thu 20th Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 9s
Best Surf 3AM (Fri 21st Aug)2ft (0.6m) 17s
Most Powerful 6PM (Wed 19th Aug)7ft (2.2m) 9s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – the next couple of weeks at Whangara are a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of average-to-poor days to wade through before a couple of genuine standouts show at the end of the month. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing much worth paddling out for, then a clean little window that’s worth marking on the calendar.

The water temp at Whangara is sitting at 56°F right now, which is about 1°F cooler than average for this time of year – nothing unusual, just a touch of winter still hanging around.

We kick off on Wednesday 19 August and it’s plain ugly. A solid 16 ft southerly swell is hammering the coast, but with a strong cross-on SSW wind at 25 mph, it’s a complete mess. The combined energy is massive (5878) – plenty of power, but it’s all blown out and unrideable. That afternoon drops to 6 ft from the SE, but cross-shore wind keeps it lumpy. Thursday stays poor, with 5 ft and 4 ft swells and cross-chop. Friday morning 21 August finally brings a clean moment – a light NW offshore, 3 ft from the ESE at 10 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate (225). It’s surfable but average – a small, workable wave. Friday afternoon sees a 3 ft southerly swell, but the NE wind pushes it cross and the period jumps to 16 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, which can close out beach breaks but might offer a few lines if you pick your spot. Still, the conditions aren’t great.

Saturday 22 August morning is small and clean with a 2 ft SE swell and offshore WNW wind, but there’s barely any energy (45). The afternoon is the first real highlight: a clean, gentle offshore from the NW, 4 ft of southerly swell at a solid 12 seconds, combined energy of 347 – that’s moderate but punchy. Clean conditions, decent wave height, and good shape potential. This is a solid option for a Saturday session. After that, Sunday and Monday (23-24 August) drop back to tiny, clean but weak surf – not worth rushing out for. From Tuesday 25 August through to Friday 28 August morning, it’s downright flat: 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft swells, barely any energy (20-34), glassy or offshore winds but nothing to ride. A dead stretch of about four days with no surf on offer.

Friday 28 August afternoon throws a curveball – a 7 ft NNE swell, but with a short, weak period of 6 seconds, cross-offshore wind, and combined energy of 351. It’s marginal and likely choppy and messy. Not a goer.

Now for the standout window. Saturday 29 August morning is the pick of the whole forecast. A clean 5 ft NNE swell with a light NW offshore wind, period of 8 seconds, and combined energy of 481 – strong, punchy wave energy. That afternoon stays good with 5 ft from the NE, clean with a light WNW cross-offshore. This is the best on offer – solid size, decent shape, and clean conditions. Sunday 30 August morning is also a beauty: glassy calm, 4 ft NE swell at 8 seconds, combined energy of 313 – a smaller but still fun, clean session. After that, the wind swings onshore Sunday afternoon and stays poor right through Monday and Tuesday (31 August – 1 September), with cross-on winds and messy surf. Wednesday and Thursday (2-3 September) keep the onshore flow, and by Thursday afternoon it’s back to tiny, weak waves.

So, if you’ve got a session in mind, aim for Saturday 29 August morning – that’s the standout. Sunday morning 30 August is also worth a look. Everything else either needs a kite, or a good book.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Wed morning, light winds from the NW by Fri morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
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
1
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
5
S
11
1.9
SE
9
2.1
SE
9
1.4
SE
8
1.2
ESE
9
1
ESE
9
1
ESE
10
0.9
S
16
0.6
S
16
0.5
SE
9
1.1
S
12
0.9
S
11
0.6
S
10
0.5
S
10
0.3
ESE
13
0.4
SE
13
0.4
SSW
17
0.4
SE
13
0.3
ESE
13
0.3
ESE
13
0.3
ESE
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
5826
612
684
295
221
165
225
407
183
41
314
189
75
48
33
44
0
44
34
33
39
Wind (km/h)
40
SSW
35
SSW
20
SW
25
SW
20
SSW
10
WNW
5
NW
15
NE
15
NNW
20
WNW
15
NW
20
NW
20
WNW
15
NW
15
W
15
WNW
10
NE
10
NW
15
WNW
5
N
25
WNW
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
off
cross
off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
off
cross
off
cross-off
glassy
off
High Tide
10:52AM1.45m
11:11PM1.43m
11:39AM1.41m
11:58PM1.37m
12:27PM1.37m
00:46AM1.32m
1:15PM1.34m
1:34AM1.29m
2:05PM1.32m
2:23AM1.27m
2:54PM1.32m
3:13AM1.26m
3:44PM1.33m
Low Tide
5:05PM0.21m
5:28AM0.20m
5:52PM0.27m
6:13AM0.26m
6:39PM0.32m
6:59AM0.30m
7:27PM0.36m
7:46AM0.33m
8:16PM0.38m
8:35AM0.34m
9:07PM0.39m
9:23AM0.34m
9:57PM0.37m
rain showers
part cloud
light rain
cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:48
6:47
6:46
6:43
6:43
6:41
6:39
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:32
5:34
5:35
5:36
5:37
5:37
5:37
 mm
2
1
Temp °C
10
10
9
11
12
10
13
12
12
15
17
14
15
18
14
15
16
14
16
18
14
Feels °C
2
2
3
5
7
7
10
8
9
10
13
9
11
15
9
12
13
11
13
16
10
  • 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 Whangara:

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 Whangara 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest