Surf Forecasts:
Whangara surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 11s period, S swell with 6,515 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whangara in the next 16 days are 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 5.5m 11s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 16ft (5.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whangara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s take a look at what we’ve got on the calendar for the next couple of weeks. The whole outlook centers on one spot – Whangara.
Right now, we’re in a bit of a flat spell with a side of strong wind to start. Monday the 17th is a write-off: solid 13ft of southerly swell hitting the beach, but it’s blowing 22 mph from the south, cross-on, and the water’s a mess. That combined wave energy reads a hefty 3160 – there’s power there, but it’s totally unsurfable for paddling in. This setup would be way more interesting for kite surfing than trying to paddle out into this lumpy cross-chop.
The whole week pretty much stays in the “poor surf conditions” category through to Thursday, the 21st of August. There’s a serious gap of four days with no real recommendation. The wind stays up, the swell’s either too big and blown out, or it drops off into nothing.
Then Friday morning, August 21st, we finally get a break in the weather. The wind swings to a light NNW at 6 mph, giving us clean, cross-off conditions. The swell is tiny though – 2ft from the south with a very long period of 16 seconds. That groundswell energy is still pretty weak at 447, but the clean conditions and glassy surface mean it won’t be completely flat. It’s small, long-period south swell – great shape for a reef or point, but at a beach-break setup, that long period will make it break really straight. Not a standout, just the first clean window after the blowout.
Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are even smaller – under 2ft – with some offshore winds, but not enough push to bother paddling out. The energy drops to 39 and 46, which is just about flat.
We then have another long stretch of tiny, clean but barely surfable waves right through until Sunday the 30th of August. The energy readings are consistently in the teens and twenties – that’s weak stuff. There’s nothing to get excited about.
But here’s the standout – and it’s a good one. Monday the 31st of August morning at Whangara. The wind goes glassy – 3 mph from the west-northwest, dead calm, offshore, and glass-like. The swell shows 6ft from the north-northeast, period 9 seconds, with combined energy at 874 – that’s moderate, solid wave energy for the area. The water temperature is 56°, which is about 1° below the long-term average, so nothing unusual for this time of year. This is the call: a clean, moderate northeast swell with glassy conditions. That’s surfable, good shape, and the wind won’t spoil a thing. The odds of it being clean and fun are high. Just keep in mind Whangara can get crowded at times, so if it’s pumping, you won’t be alone.
After that, the first couple of days of September look like the swell fades again, dropping back under 3ft with weaker energy and a light cross-onshore breeze coming in.
So to wrap it up: the first half of this forecast is a rocky, blown-out mess. The real window to watch is Monday the 31st of August morning. Everything else is either flat or too windy. Mark that date – it’s the only true standout.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 10°C on Mon morning, min 6°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Tue night, light winds from the WSW by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 9°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SE 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 8 | S 16 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | S 10 | ESE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2911 | 2306 | 1849 | 557 | 0 | 0 | 6515 | 515 | 549 | 286 | 184 | 311 | 262 | 154 | 63 | 31 | 21 | 34 | 32 | 49 | 30 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:13AM1.52m | 9:35PM1.56m | 10:03AM1.49m | 10:24PM1.49m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:27PM0.10m | 3:55AM0.09m | 4:16PM0.15m | 4:42AM0.14m | 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 | ||||||||
6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 |
Feels °C | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 10 | — | — | SE 14 | SE 9 | S 14 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 8 | S 13 | S 12 | S 14 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 10 |
249 | 159 | 94 | 557 | — | — | 67 | 515 | 2853 | 286 | 184 | 311 | 747 | 389 | 626 | 295 | 216 | 151 | 82 | 49 | 31 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | S 16 | S 15 | ENE 10 | — | — | — | SE 14 | SE 9 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | S 16 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 |
149 | 179 | 112 | 31 | — | — | — | 47 | 549 | 7 | 18 | 77 | 185 | 507 | 63 | 31 | 21 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 30 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | S 12 | S 16 | SE 10 | E 15 | E 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 8 | NE 13 | N 3 | S 16 |
— | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 146 | 262 | 154 | 4 | 15 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 21 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 9 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 8 | — | — | — | NNW 2 | W 3 | — | WNW 3 | NNW 3 | WNW 3 | NE 4 |
2911 | 2306 | 1849 | 847 | 2860 | 7522 | 6515 | 3831 | 4226 | 1760 | 524 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 308 | 108 | 51 | 108 | 272 | 109 | 110 | 110 | 24 | 24 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 24 | 11 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











