Cable bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 23, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 621, poor
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 1022, too small
- Wed 1151, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Jun–Aug1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cable bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft4 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft4 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, poor | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 14°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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:32 +1.1 mLow 09:40 −1.1 mHigh 16:06 +1.2 mLow 22:29 −1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:49 +1.0 mLow 10:56 −1.0 mHigh 17:22 +1.1 mLow 23:46 −1.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:08 +1.0 mLow 12:14 −1.0 mHigh 18:37 +1.2 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.
Best time to go
best Jun–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 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
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Cable bay 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.
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
4 places
- Cable Bay Reef 0.7 km away
- Delaware bay 4.2 km away
- The Glen 6.5 km away
- Magnets 8.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cable bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (306°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (126°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cable Bay, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,680–US$3,200 each
about US$1,680–US$3,200 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 NSN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$851–US$1,760 |
| 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$1,680–US$3,200 |
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
about 5 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Cable Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Wakapuaka on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Nelson on Booking.com
about 35 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 29h 25m
About 29h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NSN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → NSN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.