Blackhead
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 200kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 204kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 120kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 127, too small
- Mon 27, too small
- Tue 325, too small
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | offshorewind from the north, 11 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 204kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 120kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 5 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft11 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 11°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 NovLow 02:16 −0.8 mHigh 08:40 +0.9 mLow 14:58 −0.8 mHigh 21:08 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:21 −0.8 mHigh 09:45 +0.8 mLow 16:02 −0.8 mHigh 22:13 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.9 mHigh 10:48 +0.8 mLow 17:03 −0.8 mHigh 23:15 +0.8 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
No month stands out
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 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
Blackhead 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Secret Spot 4.3 km away
- St Clair 5.2 km away
- St Kilda Beach 7.6 km away
- Brighton 7.9 km away
- Brighton Beach 7.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Blackhead
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (168°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (348°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in February, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Dunedin, 6.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,700–US$3,250 each
about US$1,700–US$3,250 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 MDW to DUD, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$871–US$1,820 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$563 |
| 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$1,700–US$3,250 |
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
12 min by car · 34 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Dunedin its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mosgiel on Booking.com
17 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Port Chalmers on Booking.com
34 min by car · 4 places to stay
About US$127 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. 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 30h 10m
About 30h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → DUD, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → DUD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.