Waihau Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(East Cape, New Zealand)

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

Waihau Bay Surf Guide

Waihau Bay in East Cape is a fairly exposed beach and reef break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the south and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the best swell direction is from the north. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves and in addition, both left and right reef breaks add variety. Good surf at all stages of the tide. An uncrowded break, even when it is working.

Waihau Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach and reef
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent	14.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Waihau Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Waihau Bay occur when a North swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

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

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Waihau Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 4% of the time in January while 22% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 74% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

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

blown out

22%

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

too small

74%

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

Explore Waihau Bay Location Map

Interactive Waihau 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 Waihau Bay is Whakatane Airport (WHK) in New Zealand, 96 km (60 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Waihau Bay is Gisborne Airport (GIS), also in New Zealand, 116 km (72 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.

Waihau Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 15 September 2024, 23:46 Local Time

m, °C	Sun	Monday 16
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	N	NNE	NNE	NNE
Period (s)	6	8	8	8
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	cross- on	cross- on	on

What does Waihau Bay look like?

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

Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Waihau Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Whangaparaoa, 7 km from Waihau Bay.

Next High Water: 04:05am | 1.54m

Next Low Water: 10:20am | 0.24m

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

Waihau Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.8 °C) at Waihau Bay is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (14.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.