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Woodpecker Bay Surf Forecast
/ West Coast South Island (21 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Woodpecker Bay surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 pm Wednesday 20 May 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Woodpecker Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Woodpecker Bay sea temperature is
15.1° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Woodpecker Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Woodpecker Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 21) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Woodpecker Bay in the next 16 days are 2.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 9s period and expected on Saturday (May 23) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 21st May) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sun 24th May) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sun 24th May) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Woodpecker Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wed 27 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
WSW 12 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NW 11 | W 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 10 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | |
155 | 436 | 749 | 1190 | 562 | 616 | 970 | 953 | 745 | 589 | 2993 | 2354 | 1374 | 854 | 569 | 339 | 161 | 121 | 402 | 279 | 561 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | |
High Tide | 1:43AM2.82m | 2:18PM2.62m | 2:42AM2.68m | 3:20PM2.48m | 3:46AM2.56m | 4:25PM2.37m | 4:51AM2.46m | 5:31PM2.32m | 5:56AM2.41m | 6:32PM2.32m | 6:55AM2.40m | 7:26PM2.36m | 7:47AM2.41m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:04AM0.19m | 8:27PM0.38m | 9:05AM0.32m | 9:28PM0.49m | 10:08AM0.44m | 10:32PM0.58m | 11:12AM0.51m | 11:37PM0.62m | 12:14PM0.54m | 00:38AM0.62m | 1:10PM0.54m | 1:33AM0.59m | 1:59PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | |  | |  | | | |
 | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:48 | — |
 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:14 |
— | 1 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 7 | 6 | |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
9 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 10 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WNW 15 | WNW 12 | NW 11 | W 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 14 |
 kJ | 155 | 125 | 436 | 1190 | 562 | 616 | 970 | 953 | 745 | 589 | 2993 | 2354 | 1374 | 854 | 569 | 339 | 25 | 45 | 402 | 217 | 561 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | W 12 | NNW 10 | NW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | N 11 | N 12 | N 12 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | NNE 7 | WSW 15 | WSW 8 |
| kJ | 30 | 81 | 25 | 432 | 500 | 281 | 222 | 143 | 106 | 146 | 143 | 129 | 49 | 41 | 39 | 31 | 161 | 121 | 15 | 279 | 75 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | W 16 | — | — | WSW 20 | — | — | — | — | N 13 | N 13 | N 7 | N 7 | WSW 16 | N 6 | N 5 |
| kJ | 33 | 31 | 61 | 51 | 67 | 21 | 127 | — | — | 437 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 13 | 34 | 22 | 99 | 37 | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | — | N 7 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | 436 | 749 | — | 40 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 83 | 170 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 15 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Woodpecker Bay 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 Woodpecker Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Woodpecker Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Woodpecker Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Woodpecker Bay 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 (Woodpecker Bay) 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 Woodpecker Bay 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.
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