Raglan (Manu Bay) Swell Window

Waikato, New Zealand · part of the Raglan (Manu Bay) spot guide

Swell window (from): 220°–320° (SW–NW)
Best direction: ~235° (SW)
Period sweet spot: 12–16 s
Open-ocean height (Hs): 3–12 ft
Resulting faces: 2–12 ft

Open-ocean vs. the face: the heights on buoys and forecast models are significant wave height (Hs) in deep water. What you ride is the breaking face, which depends on period, direction and this break's bathymetry — that's why the two rows above differ. PierMonkey's spot ratings already do this conversion for you.

The window runs from southwest through west to west-northwest, and the point accepts everything from a due-southwest wrap to more westerly Tasman swell. The best is southwest to west-southwest around 225–250° — the classic long-wall angle that wraps the point cleanly — at a long period of roughly 12-to-16 seconds and up, which is what connects the sections; short-period windswell gives shorter, weaker rides.

Because the southwest energy wraps the headland, the breaking face is typically smaller than the raw open-ocean height but far more organised and longer. The point holds size, producing makeable walls at swells that shut down open beaches — so read the height as open-ocean, and the face separately.

The storm corridor

Typical swell corridor to Raglan (Manu Bay): Southern Ocean and Tasman winter storms sending long-period SW groundswell that wraps the point — Typical swell corridor (schematic straight line): Southern Ocean and Tasman winter storms sending long-period SW groundswell that wraps the point.