Black Rock
Surf spot · Cook Islands
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 560kJ
- Wind
- SE 28 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 904kJ
- Wind
- ESE 21 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 459kJ
- Wind
- ESE 17 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 355kJ
- Wind
- ESE 16 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 494kJ
- Wind
- ESE 16 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 504kJ
- Wind
- E 19 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 165kJ
- Wind
- ESE 17 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 538, poor
- Fri 652, fair
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 845, fair
- Mon 933, poor
- Tue 1025, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–17 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Black Rock does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 65, good | 5 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 593kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 560kJ | wind from the south-east, 28 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 904kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 21 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 459kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, poor | 5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 355kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 494kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 504kJ | offshorewind from the east, 19 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 17 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 17 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 22 knots, offshore | 23°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 00:38 +0.4 mLow 07:07 −0.3 mHigh 13:14 +0.3 mLow 19:21 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:37 +0.3 mLow 08:05 −0.3 mHigh 14:15 +0.3 mLow 20:30 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:44 +0.3 mLow 09:10 −0.3 mHigh 15:23 +0.3 mLow 21:47 −0.2 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.
Map
the spot and its town
Black Rock on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
1 place
- Motutapu 11.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Black Rock
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (310°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (130°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Nikao, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 dive sites.
Water about 26°C: no 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$1,190–US$2,290 each
about US$1,190–US$2,290 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, 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 ORD to RAR, estimated from distance and season, changing at HNL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$657–US$1,370 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,190–US$2,290 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
3 min by car · 13 places to stay
About Nikao its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Avarua on Booking.com
5 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Muri on Booking.com
20 min by car · 33 places to stay
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 22h 50m
About 22h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → RAR, changing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), then 20 min by road
Flights ORD → RAR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.