Point

right

Level 7/10

Kahutara

Peketa, New Zealand

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Powerful right point and river mouth in front of the Kahutara River bridge, south of Kaikoura. Late drops then a long right on big SE swells; best in winter. Heavy shore dump, broken boards are common. It works best on a SSE swell with WNW winds around low tide. Watch for: big shore dump, power; not for learners.

Kahutara surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today20

Poor

1.4mS@11s

8km/h

1.4m@11s

8km/h

Wed21

Fair

1.2mS@12s

9km/h

1.2m@12s

9km/h

Thu22

Poor

0.8mS@11s

6km/h

0.8m@11s

6km/h

Fri23

Poor

0.8mS@8s

7km/h

0.8m@8s

7km/h

Sat24

Poor

1.1mS@10s

7km/h

1.1m@10s

7km/h

Sun25

Poor

0.9mS@11s

9km/h

0.9m@11s

9km/h

Mon26

Poor

0.6mENE@9s

14km/h

0.6m@9s

14km/h

Tue27

Poor

1.1mE@8s

11km/h

1.1m@8s

11km/h

Wed28

Poor

0.7mSSE@8s

6km/h

0.7m@8s

6km/h

Thu29

Poor

0.4mSSE@12s

6km/h

0.4m@12s

6km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 4 km/h · PM 10 km/h · Low tide at 6am (0.1m)

Swell

1.4m

S(178°)

Score: 13/25

Period

11s

Mid-period swell

Score: 10/25

Wind

8km/h

E(93°)

Score: 13/25

Weather

13°C

0.0mm86%

First light 5:58amSunrise 6:28amSunset 7:54pmLast light 8:24pm

Windswell

0.1m@1s

Secondary

0.2m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.4m @11s S in window

Wind8 km/h E onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross OnshoreShaded = inside ideal window

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:58–9:05am · risingStrike window: 3:44–8:24pm · through lowIdeal tide: low

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

10°

12°

14°

13°

8°

16°

17°

15°

7°

15°

20°

18°

11°

14°

15°

9°

16°

19°

8°

14°

17°

18°

17°

12°

16°

22°

20°

12°

11°

12°

11°

5°

8°

15°

17°

16°

8°

11°

17°

18°

16°

2m1.0

sec

11s

12s

11s

10s

11s

12s

swell

windkm/h

5g16

3g11

9g25

13g34

6g25

8g17

5g19

9g25

10g28

8g26

4g14

6g19

3g17

6g21

8g21

2g10

6g18

12g31

9g31

5g26

6g16

0g16

9g23

12g29

5g29

9g18

2g18

10g24

12g31

7g29

10g32

14g41

18g48

15g52

10g54

16g82

17g73

9g49

5g36

10g29

5g17

1g18

10g26

9g29

3g30

7g19

2g22

9g25

8g27

5g30

tidem

6:08am0.1m

12:25pm1.1m

6:43pm0.1m

12:48am1.1m

6:55am0.1m

1:06pm1.2m

7:30pm0.1m

1:34am1.1m

7:39am0.1m

1:51pm1.2m

8:12pm0.1m

2:14am1.1m

8:25am0.0m

2:38pm1.2m

8:54pm0.0m

3:02am1.2m

9:14am0.0m

3:25pm1.3m

9:38pm0.0m

3:50am1.3m

9:58am0.0m

4:15pm1.3m

10:22pm0.1m

4:40am1.4m

10:47am0.1m

5:03pm1.4m

5:30am1.6m

11:44am0.1m

5:54pm1.5m

6:17am1.6m

12:37pm0.0m

6:47pm1.4m

12:55am0.0m

7:12am1.6m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

6:08 am

Low · 0.08m

12:25 pm

High · 1.12m

6:43 pm

Low · 0.07m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction12/25

Swell Size13/25

Swell Period10/25

Wind13/25

Raw Score48/100

Adjustments

💨 Gusty Wind-4

Adjusted Score44/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score44

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to CHC, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.4m @11s S in window

Wind8 km/h E onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross OnshoreShaded = inside ideal window

Showing forecast for today · all day

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SSE (150°)
Direction range: 90° - 180°
Size range: 1.1m - 4.4m
Ideal size: 2.6m - 3.6m
Height multiplier: 0.92×
Ideal period: 13s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: WNW (300°)
Offshore range: 250° - 350°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: low

Water temp

14°C

Wetsuit

4/3mm fullsuit

Difficulty

7/10

Crowd level

7/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Kahutara?

The Kahutara profile favors low tide. Compare this preference with the forecast tide and local conditions before choosing a session.

What wind direction is offshore at Kahutara?

The Kahutara profile uses wind from WNW (300°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 250° to 350°. Wind speed matters too: light winds outside that range can still produce surfable conditions, while strong offshore winds can make takeoffs difficult.

What swell size and direction work best at Kahutara?

The Kahutara scoring profile favors swell from SSE (90° to 180°), a swell-height range of 1.1m to 4.4m, and a reference period of 13s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.