Point

left

Level 5/10

The Cliff

Gisborne, New Zealand

🪨Rocks🪸Sharp reef

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Left point over reef and sand at the end of the road past the Gisborne yacht club that comes to life only in a large S swell; fairly average, and the rocks in and around the lineup make it a wave for intermediates up. It works best on a S swell with NNE winds around high tide. Watch for: rocks in the lineup.

The Cliff surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today20

Poor

0.9mSSE@10s

10km/h

0.9m@10s

10km/h

Wed21

Poor

0.8mSSE@8s

10km/h

0.8m@8s

10km/h

Thu22

Poor

0.8mSSE@10s

9km/h

0.8m@10s

9km/h

Fri23

Poor

0.6mSSE@9s

11km/h

0.6m@9s

11km/h

Sat24

Poor

0.8mSSE@9s

24km/h

0.8m@9s

24km/h

Sun25

Poor

0.6mSSE@9s

14km/h

0.6m@9s

14km/h

Mon26

Poor

0.4mSSE@9s

29km/h

0.4m@9s

29km/h

Tue27

Poor

0.2mSSE@8s

32km/h

0.2m@8s

32km/h

Wed28

Poor

0.3mSSE@5s

13km/h

0.3m@5s

13km/h

Thu29

Poor

0.3mS@7s

24km/h

0.3m@7s

24km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 6 km/h · PM 13 km/h

Swell

0.9m

SSE(166°)

Score: 2/25

Period

10s

Mid-period swell

Score: 4/25

Wind

10km/h

SSE(152°)

Score: 10/25

Weather

14°C

0.0mm17%

First light 5:45amSunrise 6:15amSunset 7:30pmLast light 8:00pm

Windswell

0.1m@1s

Secondary

0.2m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell0.9m @10s SSE in window

Wind10 km/h SSE onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross OnshoreShaded = inside ideal window

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 12:16–2:20pm · through highIdeal tide: high

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

7°

13°

17°

15°

11°

15°

19°

18°

17°

10°

16°

22°

25°

22°

10°

17°

20°

18°

13°

18°

23°

24°

20°

14°

18°

22°

19°

11°

14°

19°

20°

18°

16°

17°

19°

20°

19°

14°

17°

21°

22°

21°

18°

20°

22°

20°

2m1.0

sec

10s

swell

windkm/h

8g15

3g18

10g25

14g31

13g27

11g19

8g21

13g29

8g23

10g17

5g18

5g16

13g26

20g37

7g14

8g19

12g27

16g36

7g31

20g33

23g40

26g49

25g50

27g49

23g43

22g41

16g44

4g32

4g22

27g50

28g53

28g55

30g57

33g60

31g62

32g62

35g63

33g64

28g64

12g23

4g21

10g26

19g36

24g48

20g36

22g39

25g47

27g52

26g54

tidem

12:54am1.1m

7:02am0.1m

1:19pm1.1m

7:40pm0.1m

1:45am1.0m

7:51am0.1m

2:05pm1.1m

8:30pm0.1m

2:35am1.0m

8:40am0.1m

2:55pm1.2m

9:20pm0.1m

3:20am1.1m

9:30am0.1m

3:40pm1.2m

10:06pm0.1m

4:11am1.1m

10:17am0.1m

4:30pm1.2m

5:02am1.2m

11:07am0.1m

5:22pm1.3m

5:50am1.3m

11:58am0.1m

6:11pm1.4m

6:41am1.4m

12:53pm0.1m

7:03pm1.5m

1:16am0.0m

7:30am1.5m

1:45pm0.0m

7:52pm1.5m

2:06am0.0m

8:23am1.6m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

12:54 am

High · 1.06m

7:02 am

Low · 0.15m

1:19 pm

High · 1.13m

7:40 pm

Low · 0.12m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction16/25

Swell Size2/25

Swell Period4/25

Wind10/25

Raw Score32/100

Adjustments

Wind History-5

💨 Gusty Wind-4

📉 Undersized Swell-10

🚫 Undersized Capmax 30

Adjusted Score13/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score13

Plan Your Strike

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

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Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell0.9m @10s SSE in window

Wind10 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: 1.5m - 5m
Ideal size: 3.1m - 4.1m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: NNE (30°)
Offshore range: 345° - 75°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: high

Water temp

18°C

Wetsuit

3/2mm fullsuit

Difficulty

5/10

Crowd level

3/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at The Cliff?

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

What wind direction is offshore at The Cliff?

The The Cliff profile uses wind from NNE (30°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 345° to 75°. 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 The Cliff?

The The Cliff scoring profile favors swell from S (150° to 210°), a swell-height range of 1.5m to 5m, and a reference period of 14s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.