
Surf Forecasts:
Whangara surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with 4,792 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with ENE 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 (Jul 24) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whangara in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 8s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whangara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Right then, we're looking at a bit of a slow start, but there's a decent run of surf coming through for Whangara. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
The first few days are pretty ordinary. Friday the 24th is a write-off, with tiny 1.0ft swell from the south and a messy cross-off wind. Not worth getting wet. Saturday the 25th morning shows a bit of promise with a 3ft easterly swell and a light offshore breeze from the northwest making for clean conditions. That's your first real look at it, but it's not a standout.
The real action starts to build from Monday the 27th. The swell cranks up to 7ft from the south with an 11-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 2514 – that's a powerful, chunky groundswell. The wind is cross-off from the west-southwest, keeping it reasonably clean. This is a big one, though. At 8ft on Tuesday morning, it's pushing into expert-only territory. The period is 13 seconds, so it's a proper long-period groundswell. That kind of energy is best suited for a setup like Whangara's beach and reef, as it can get a bit too straight at a beach break. The swell direction is ESE, which is spot on for what this spot likes.
The standout window is Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th. Wednesday morning we've got 6ft of swell from the east-southeast, a 13-second period, and a light offshore from the west-northwest. The combined energy is 1180, and the call is for very good surf. Thursday morning is even better in a way – 6ft, long period at 12 seconds, light offshore again, and the energy is a strong 787. This is the pick of the entire forecast. Clean, powerful, and with that offshore wind, it'll be a joy. Keep in mind though, it's a fairly consistent break but crowds are possible, so get in early.
The following week from the 31st drops off a bit. Friday the 31st is marginal, and while Saturday the 1st of August has a clean 3ft with a light offshore, it's smaller. By Sunday the 2nd, it's glassy in the morning but tiny at 2ft. Then it gets a bit weird into the second week – on Monday the 3rd, the wind is offshore but the swell is short period at 9 seconds, so it won't have the same grunt. From Tuesday the 4th onward, it's pretty much a write-off with onshore winds and on the 5th, a massive 16ft swell from the south-east hits, but with 31 mph onshore winds. That's a messy, dangerous mess. In fact, the setup on the 5th and 6th looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, with that strong onshore wind and huge, raw swell.
So, for the best surf, aim for Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th. That's your window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 6°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 6°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Mon morning, light winds from the NW by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 8 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 16 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | S 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 55 | 149 | 257 | 246 | 310 | 367 | 683 | 744 | 2430 | 3962 | 2801 | 2496 | 2275 | 1699 | 1342 | 1064 | 774 | 560 | 438 | 349 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:55PM1.34m | 2:12AM1.31m | 2:44PM1.33m | 3:01AM1.29m | 3:32PM1.34m | 3:49AM1.28m | 4:20PM1.35m | 4:36AM1.29m | 5:06PM1.37m | 5:23AM1.30m | 5:52PM1.39m | 6:09AM1.31m | 6:37PM1.42m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:04PM0.35m | 8:25AM0.31m | 8:53PM0.37m | 9:12AM0.32m | 9:42PM0.38m | 9:59AM0.32m | 10:32PM0.37m | 10:47AM0.31m | 11:21PM0.35m | 11:34AM0.28m | 00:09AM0.32m | 12:21PM0.26m | 00:55AM0.29m | ||||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | |
— | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | — | 3 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 11 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SSE 12 | ESE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 |
13 | 55 | 149 | 257 | 246 | 184 | 367 | 683 | 560 | 2430 | 638 | 2801 | 2496 | 2275 | 1699 | 1342 | 1064 | 774 | 560 | 438 | 349 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | N 8 | NNE 8 | ESE 16 | E 12 | SSW 15 | SE 10 | ESE 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
18 | 17 | 14 | 105 | 72 | 310 | 187 | 23 | 87 | 663 | 48 | 43 | 56 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 103 | 73 | 36 | 16 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 13 | ESE 17 | N 10 | N 9 | N 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | SSW 10 | NE 12 | NE 12 | S 16 |
13 | 12 | 12 | 27 | 116 | 49 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | NNE 4 | N 6 | — | WSW 3 | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 8 | SSE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | N 4 | N 4 | N 5 | NNE 5 |
1 | 6 | 62 | — | 3 | 263 | 348 | 527 | 744 | 515 | 3962 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 74 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 109 | 35 | 51 | 51 | 28 | 17 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.










