Reef

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Level 8/10

Propellors

Palmer Head, New Zealand

🪨Rocks🪸Sharp reef

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Long, fast right wall with barrels off Palmer Head; S swell, low to mid tide. Advanced to expert. It works best on a S swell with NNW winds around low tide. Watch for: rock reef.

Propellors surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today20

Good

2.0mS@14s

12km/h

2.0m@14s

12km/h

Wed21

Firing

1.7mS@12s

14km/h

1.7m@12s

14km/h

Thu22

Fair

1.3mS@12s

27km/h

1.3m@12s

27km/h

Fri23

Fair

1.0mS@9s

11km/h

1.0m@9s

11km/h

Sat24

Good

1.4mS@13s

39km/h

1.4m@13s

39km/h

Sun25

Fair

1.2mS@12s

44km/h

1.2m@12s

44km/h

Mon26

Poor

0.8mS@14s

45km/h

0.8m@14s

45km/h

Tue27

Poor

1.0mSW@10s

28km/h

1.0m@10s

28km/h

Wed28

Poor

1.1mSSW@9s

27km/h

1.1m@9s

27km/h

Thu29

Poor

0.6mSSW@14s

30km/h

0.6m@14s

30km/h

Groomed Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: AfternoonAM 13 km/h · PM 9 km/h · Low tide at 6pm (0.0m)

Swell

2.0m

S(185°)

Score: 25/25

Period

14s

Groundswell

Score: 25/25

Wind

12km/h

SSE(147°)

Score: 5/25

Weather

14°C

0.0mm11%

First light 5:55amSunrise 6:25amSunset 7:47pmLast light 8:17pm

Windswell

—

Secondary

0.1m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell2.0m @14s S in window

Wind12 km/h SSE onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross OnshoreShaded = inside ideal window

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:55–9:15am · risingStrike window: 3:38–8:17pm · 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°

14°

15°

17°

13°

15°

18°

16°

13°

15°

17°

18°

16°

11°

14°

17°

18°

17°

14°

16°

17°

15°

13°

15°

16°

15°

14°

15°

16°

15°

16°

15°

13°

12°

14°

16°

15°

14°

15°

16°

14°

3m1.5

sec

14s

12s

13s

12s

14s

10s

14s

swell

windkm/h

10g22

15g34

16g37

14g37

4g16

25g54

22g52

16g40

5g21

4g12

28g58

36g76

31g71

22g51

17g38

18g37

4g23

5g20

14g36

19g41

37g74

38g80

39g82

40g84

39g83

43g84

44g90

46g95

44g96

43g92

38g80

42g88

48g103

48g108

46g106

47g109

21g103

22g91

34g80

24g71

19g42

25g49

30g62

30g69

29g72

29g60

30g64

31g71

29g72

27g68

tidem

6:15am0.0m

12:19pm0.8m

6:50pm0.0m

12:48am0.7m

6:56am0.0m

1:02pm0.8m

7:30pm0.0m

1:24am0.8m

7:36am0.1m

1:43pm0.9m

8:16pm0.1m

2:03am0.8m

8:23am0.0m

2:30pm0.8m

8:56pm0.0m

2:54am0.8m

9:10am0.1m

3:18pm0.8m

9:37pm0.1m

3:42am0.8m

10:00am0.1m

4:12pm0.9m

10:30pm0.1m

4:36am0.9m

10:56am0.1m

5:06pm0.9m

5:36am1.1m

12:00pm0.2m

6:02pm1.1m

6:25am1.1m

1:02pm0.1m

7:02pm1.0m

1:24am0.1m

7:25am1.1m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

6:15 am

Low · 0.01m

12:19 pm

High · 0.80m

6:50 pm

Low · 0.00m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Good

Components

Swell Direction21/25

Swell Size25/25

Swell Period25/25

Wind5/25

Raw Score76/100

Adjustments

Wind History-1

💨 Gusty Wind-5

Adjusted Score70/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score70

Plan Your Strike

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

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Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell2.0m @14s S in window

Wind12 km/h SSE 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: S (180°)
Direction range: 150° - 210°
Size range: 1m - 2.5m
Ideal size: 1.7m - 2.1m
Height multiplier: 0.92×
Ideal period: 13s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: NNW (330°)
Offshore range: 285° - 15°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: low

Water temp

14°C

Wetsuit

4/3mm fullsuit

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

5/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Propellors?

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

What wind direction is offshore at Propellors?

The Propellors profile uses wind from NNW (330°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 285° to 15°. 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 Propellors?

The Propellors scoring profile favors swell from S (150° to 210°), a swell-height range of 1m to 2.5m, 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.