Whites Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Kaikoura and Marlborough, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Whites Bay Surf Guide

Whites Bay in Nelson is a fairly exposed beach break that has very consistent waves, although summer tends to be mostly flat. The best wind direction is from the northwest. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southeast. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Best around high tide. Rarely crowded here. Watch out for dangerous rips.

Whites Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	3	very consistent	14.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Whites Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Whites Bay occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Whites Bay (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Whites Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 16% of the time in June while 30% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 54% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

16%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

30%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

54%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Whites Bay Location Map

Interactive Whites Bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Whites Bay is Woodbourne Airport (BHE) in New Zealand, 20 km (12 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Whites Bay is Wellington International Airport (WLG), also in New Zealand, 64 km (40 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Whites Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 16:21 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06			Thu
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	off	off	off

What does Whites Bay look like?

Latest photos from Whites Bay. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Bob Jones

Tides at Whites Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Port Underwood, New Zealand, 8 km from Whites Bay.

Next High Water: 09:45pm | 1.53m

Next Low Water: 04:02am | 0.55m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Whites Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.2 °C) at Whites Bay is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (17.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 14.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Whites Bay

Surf stats for Whites Bay, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Whites Bay

Wind stats for Whites Bay, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Whites Bay Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 2 votes.

Overall:3.0
Quality on a good day:3.5
Consistency of Surf:3.5
Difficulty Level:3.0
Wind and Kite Surfing:1.0
Crowds:4.0
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

R C Penington from New Zealand

“I enjoyed looking at the site.

I did worry at just how accurate it is when you show Whites Bay as being in Nelson.
Whites Bay is in Marlborough

[Editors comments: fixed in database - we added a region Blenheim]”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

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