Is it worth the trip?
24Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 305kJ
- Wind
- NE 16 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- NE 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 389kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 243kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 478kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 145, fair
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 312, too small
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 943, too small
- Tue 1027, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 45, fair | 8 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,395kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 305kJ | wind from the north-east, 16 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 389kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 243kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 478kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 43, too small | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 529kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 18 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, too small | 6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 590kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 12, too small | 5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 392kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 18 knots | 16°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 02:04 +1.0 mLow 08:22 −1.1 mHigh 14:42 +1.1 mLow 21:05 −1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:12 +0.9 mLow 09:29 −1.0 mHigh 15:52 +1.0 mLow 22:17 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:28 +0.8 mLow 10:42 −0.9 mHigh 17:05 +1.0 mLow 23:29 −1.0 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
90 Mile Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About 90 Mile Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (267°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (87°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 85). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Waipapakauri, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Kaitaia, 13 km (about 25 min by car). Nearest airport: Kaitaia Airport (KAT), 13 km.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,290–US$2,550 each
about US$1,290–US$2,550 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to KAT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$824–US$1,720 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,550 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 13 km away
No town nearby
Waipapakauri, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Kaitaia, 13 km (about 25 min by car). Nearest airport: Kaitaia Airport (KAT), 13 km.
See places to stay near Kaitaia, 13 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 28h 55m
About 28h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → KAT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → KAT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.