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Waimarama surf forecast
Waimārama is a sandy beach break with a rocky point in Hawke's Bay, with both lefts and rights that often suit surfers of any level. It faces east and picks up swell from the north-east round to the south.
Waimarama surf report, hour by hour
The table shows swell, wind and tide for Waimarama Beach through each day. The beach faces east, so a west wind blows offshore here.
Updated 20:58next run 01:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
07:00–11:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Go 09-12, clean waist-chest, cross-offshore NNW.
Best window: 09:00–12:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 00:14
- Low
- 06:26
- High
- 12:44
- Low
- 19:05
- Sunrise
- 05:59
- Sunset
- 19:52
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Go 07-11, clean waist-chest, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 07:00–11:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 01:11
- Low
- 07:25
- High
- 13:40
- Low
- 20:03
- Sunrise
- 05:58
- Sunset
- 19:52
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Worth it 06-10, fair head-high, cross-shore N.
Best window: 06:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 02:09
- Low
- 08:22
- High
- 14:37
- Low
- 20:58
- Sunrise
- 05:57
- Sunset
- 19:53
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Go 06-07, clean chest-shoulder, glassy.
Best window: 06:00–07:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 03:07
- Low
- 09:18
- High
- 15:33
- Low
- 21:51
- Sunrise
- 05:56
- Sunset
- 19:54
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Waimarama (-39.814, 176.997). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind column first. A west wind is offshore at Waimarama and grooms the faces. Easterly wind blows straight onshore and messes up the beach break.
Where to surf at Waimarama
Waimārama is a seaside village in Hawke's Bay with a popular surf beach. The waves break on sand, there is a rocky point, and you can find both lefts and rights. Ocean Beach, a beach popular with surfers, lies to the north of Waimarama Beach.
Waimarama Beach
Beach breakAll levelsThis is a sandy beach break with both lefts and rights. On many days it is friendly enough for a range of surfers.
Strong rip currents run here, and surf lifeguards patrol at weekends from November to March. Our forecast also notes rocks near the south end. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The rocky point
Rocky pointWatch the rocksWaimārama's beach has a rocky point. Our own notes flag rocks near the south end of the beach, so keep your distance if you are new to the spot. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Ocean Beach
Beach breakStrong wavesOcean Beach is a long golden-sand beach between Cape Kidnappers and Waimarama Beach. Its waves are usually large and strong, which makes it popular with surfers.
It also has a strong rip, and surf life-saving patrols run there through summer. The only road in comes from Havelock North, and the one-way road down to the beach is steep. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
What Waimarama needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
North-east to south swells
Waimarama faces east and is open to swell from the north-east round to the south. Swell from outside that window mostly misses the beach.
Wind
West wind is offshore
The cleanest surf comes with wind from the west, which blows offshore here. Last December our model had the wind offshore for about 87% of the time.
Tide
Best around mid tide
Mid tide usually works best at Waimarama. Use the tide line in the table to plan around it.
Size
0.8 to 1.8 metres ideal
The beach works best with waves from 0.8 to 1.8 m, and below 0.5 m there is not much to ride. Above about 2.5 m it gets too big for most people.
Shortcut: a north-east to south swell of around 1 m, a west wind and mid tide is the classic good day at Waimarama.
The best months to surf Waimarama
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Waimarama's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Nov–FebMost consistent, warmest water
Over half of days score 3+ in this stretch, up to about 71% in December. Waves average 1.4 to 1.6 m, the water is 16.5 to 19.4°C, and lifeguards patrol at weekends.
Mar–JunFewer good days, some standouts
Days scoring 3+ drop to between 43% and 50%. May has the highest share of 4+ days in the year, at about 32%.
Jul–SepBigger, colder, less reliable
Average size climbs to 1.9 to 2.4 m, and only 29% to 40% of days score 3+. The water drops to 12.3 to 13.1°C.
OctSpring picks up
About 58% of days score 3+ and around 27% score 4+. The water is about 14.5°C.
Before you go
Rips and lifeguards
Waimārama has strong rip currents. Surf lifeguards patrol at weekends from November to March.
Our notes also flag rocks near the south end of the beach. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Getting there
Waimārama is a seaside village in the Hastings District of Hawke's Bay. Hawke's Bay Regional Council has a webcam at Red Bridge on Waimarama Road, looking at the Tukituki River. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · hbrc.govt.nz
In the village
The village has a restaurant, a bar and a shop. About 240 people live here year-round, and many old holiday baches are now homes.
The beach town attracts people from across the region. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Water temperature and wetsuit
From December to March the sea sits around 17.6 to 19.4°C.
In April, May, October and November it runs 14.5 to 16.5°C.
From June to September it is 12.3 to 13.9°C.
Motu-o-Kura (Bare Island)
Motu-o-Kura, or Bare Island, sits just off the coast and is popular for fishing and diving. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Cams and checking conditions
The council's Red Bridge webcam updates every hour in daylight, but it faces the river, not the surf. CamJam lists live cams by region, including Hawke's Bay, where they exist.
Open-water forecasts can read bigger than the waves that actually break at more sheltered spots. Sources: hbrc.govt.nz · camjam.co.nz · surf-forecast.com
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Waimarama. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for New Zealand, so 4 stars at Waimarama is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Waimarama surf questions
Is Waimarama good for beginners?
Often, yes. It is a sandy beach break with conditions that often suit all levels. Watch out for the strong rips; surf lifeguards patrol at weekends from November to March.
When is the best time to surf Waimarama?
November to February is the most consistent stretch, with up to about 71% of days scoring 3+ in December. Aim for mid tide with a west, offshore wind.
How cold is the water in Waimarama in December?
The sea is about 17.6°C in December.
Is there a Waimarama surf cam?
The council runs an hourly webcam at Red Bridge on Waimarama Road, but it looks at the Tukituki River, not the waves. CamJam lists live cams across Hawke's Bay where they are available.
Are there lifeguards at Waimarama?
Yes. Surf lifeguards patrol the beach at weekends from November to March.
What wind and swell work best at Waimarama?
The beach faces east, so a west wind is offshore. It takes swell from the north-east round to the south, ideally 0.8 to 1.8 m.
Check Waimarama before you drive out
Use the hour-by-hour table above to line up a west wind, mid tide and a north-east to south swell. Then grab your board and head for the sand.