Wellington Marine ForecastCook Strait
Updated Tue Oct 27, 2026
NO-GO all three days: gales and steep, choppy seas
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Marine Forecast for Cook Strait Oct 27–29, 2026
📋 NO-GO all three days: gales and steep, choppy seas
NO-GO. Gale-force NNW winds to 38 knots with 9 to 10-foot choppy seas early, then a confused NNW swell and SSW wind-wave cross-sea. The evening lull is too short for a 12-hour trip.
NO-GO. Calm until about 2:00 AM, then 26 to 28 knot NW winds with gusts to 38 knots and steep 6 to 7.5-foot seas for most of the day, plus a confused S swell and NW wind-wave cross-sea.
NO-GO. 29 to 31 knot NW winds with gusts to 44 knots and 7 to 8-foot choppy seas through mid-afternoon, with a NW swell and SSW wind-wave cross-sea. The evening lull is too short for a 12-hour trip.
All three days are NO-GO for a 12-hour trip, with no settled stretch long enough to run it. Strong NNW to NW winds with gusts of 40 to 54 knots and short-period 5 to 6 second seas dominate, with only brief lulls on the evening of Tuesday the 27th and the evening of Thursday the 29th. Model uncertainty is notable on Tuesday and especially Thursday, but nothing in the data suggests a safe full-day option.
Recent days at Cook Strait
Today’s Water at Cook Strait
Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll around Cook Strait, imaged fresh every morning. Water at the star is 13.7°C today, and chlorophyll of 0.55 mg/m³ reads as green shelf water at the spot.
Imagery: Oct 27, 2026 · rebuilt every morning
These charts show you the breaks. DeepCast reads them. A zone-by-zone AI fishing report for these exact waters — temperature edges, color changes, and structure, analyzed together.
Get the AI fishing reportSST and chlorophyll from the SeaLegs AI DeepCast satellite pipeline. Charts are a planning aid — always check the official marine forecast before making the run.
About Cook Strait
Wellington's boating is decided outside the heads, not inside them. The harbour is sheltered; Cook Strait is not, and it has a reputation for wind that it comfortably earns. This forecast covers the exposed water south of the entrance — the conditions you actually meet once you're clear.
It updates every morning from the latest marine model data, and each day gets an honest GO, CAUTION, or NO-GO call — the same AI rating used in the SeaLegs AI app.
Reading Cook Strait
The strait sits in the gap between the North and South Islands, and that gap does something specific to weather: it funnels and accelerates it. Wind moving through the strait is routinely stronger than the same system either side of it, which is why a forecast that looks unremarkable regionally can still be a hard day on the water here. Treat the strait's own numbers as the ones that matter.
Two things compound it. Tidal streams run strongly through the strait, and wind against tide is what turns a manageable sea into a steep and punishing one — so read wind direction against the tide, not wind speed alone. And a southerly has the whole Southern Ocean behind it, arriving as long-period swell with nothing in the way. Plan the return leg as carefully as the run out; the strait is not a place to be caught deciding late.
Cook Strait forecast FAQ
How is the sea at Cook Strait today?
As of Oct 27, 2026, the SeaLegs AI verdict for Cook Strait is NO-GO. NO-GO. The day opens with a gale, with 36 to 38 knot NNW winds, gusts up to 54 knots, and steep 9 to 10-foot seas at 5-second periods from the NNW. Winds drop and swing through the morning, then a southerly burst of 28 knots around 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM stirs up a messy sea. For about 12 hours this is steep wind-wave chop, and for about 4 hours it is a confused cross-sea where NNW swell crosses SSW wind-wave, so two wave trains arrive from different directions and give awkward, uncomfortable motion with no single good heading. Winds ease to 6 to 10 knots from the ESE from late afternoon with 4-foot seas at 6-second periods from the SSW, but there is no settled stretch long enough for the 12-hour trip, so the lull is not a time to go. Model uncertainty on wind speed is high. Rain chance peaks at 100% around 8:00 AM, so expect heavy showers early.
Why is Cook Strait so windy?
The strait is a narrow gap between New Zealand's two main islands, and it funnels weather through it — wind accelerates as it squeezes through, so conditions in the strait are commonly stronger than the surrounding region's forecast suggests. That's the main reason a Wellington day has to be judged on the strait's own numbers.
Does this forecast cover Wellington Harbour?
No — deliberately. This forecast is aimed at the open water of Cook Strait south of the harbour entrance, because that's what decides whether a trip is on. The harbour itself is considerably more sheltered, and a forecast placed inside it wouldn't tell you about the water you're heading into.
How often is this forecast updated?
The page is rebuilt every morning from the latest model run, and the SpotCast card refreshes live in your browser. The date stamp above the outlook shows when it was last generated.
What do GO, CAUTION, and NO-GO mean?
GO means conditions are favourable for most recreational boats. CAUTION means marginal — manageable for experienced crews in capable vessels, but check the wind, tide and sea timing closely. NO-GO means conditions are hazardous for small craft and the trip is best postponed.
What is the water temperature at Cook Strait today?
As of Oct 27, 2026, the satellite-derived sea surface temperature at Cook Strait is about 13.7°C, with chlorophyll around 0.55 mg/m³ (green shelf water). The SST and chlorophyll charts on this page are rebuilt every morning from the SeaLegs AI DeepCast satellite pipeline.
More offshore forecasts
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