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SE Surf

South Beach

West Coast · New Zealand

IntermediateBeach break-42.525, 171.152

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South Beach is a NW-facing sand beach on the New Zealand shoreline, opening onto the Tasman Sea — it catches W–N swell, and offshore E–S winds tidy the banks through october–april.

10-day forecast

Local time · updates hourly

Wave height & period

HeightPeriod

Wind

SpeedGusts
TimeRatingWavesSwellWindAir

Water temperature by month

This month: ~13.5°C (56.3°F) on average

Jan

17.2°C

63°F · 13.8–21.5°C

Feb

18.2°C

64.8°F · 15.5–21°C

Mar

17.3°C

63.1°F · 15.3–20.4°C

Apr

16.3°C

61.3°F · 13.6–19.2°C

May

15.2°C

59.4°F · 13.3–17.7°C

Jun

13.9°C

57°F · 12.4–15.4°C

Jul

12.9°C

55.2°F · 11.2–14°C

Aug

12.5°C

54.5°F · 11.4–13.9°C

Sep

12.8°C

55°F · 11.4–13.9°C

Oct

13.5°C

56.3°F · 12–15.8°C

Nov

15°C

59°F · 13.2–18.1°C

Dec

16.4°C

61.5°F · 13.8–18.6°C

25-year monthly averages from the NOAA OISST satellite record — typical range min–max, not a live reading.

Know before you go

Best swell

W–N

Best wind

E–S

Break type

Beach break

Best season

October–April

Safety: Friendly by surf standards, but rip currents and drop-in etiquette still apply. Shifting sandbars create moving rip currents — learn to spot them and use them to get out back.

Nearby spots

More beaches in West Coast → see all spots in West Coast, New Zealand

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