Staying Home Sucks, home

Colac Bay

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

33Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 6 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 s
Energy
561kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 37 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 s
Energy
484kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 14 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 s
Energy
143kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 s
Energy
137kJ
Wind
NW 11 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 28 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 s
Energy
632kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 43 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 s
Energy
716kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
15°C

Mon 9 · 14 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 s
Energy
431kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
13°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 28, too small
  2. Tue 346, fair
  3. Wed 437, too small
  4. Thu 514, too small
  5. Fri 69, too small
  6. Sat 728, too small
  7. Sun 843, poor
  8. Mon 914, too small
  9. Tue 1020, too small
  10. Wed 1143, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

Colac Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Colac Bay, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov8, too small4 ft10 s327kJwind from the west-south-west, 14 knots14°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair6 ft9 s561kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov37, too small5 ft10 s484kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov14, too small3 ft9 s143kJwind from the east, 3 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov9, too small3 ft9 s137kJwind from the north-west, 11 knots, offshore21°C
Sat 7Nov28, too small5 ft11 s632kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov43, poor6 ft10 s716kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore15°C
Mon 9Nov14, too small5 ft10 s431kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots13°C
Tue 10Nov20, too small4 ft10 s275kJwind from the west, 2 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov43, too small6 ft11 s673kJwind from the south-south-west, 6 knots10°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

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

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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Colac Bay

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SE (154°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (334°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea is about 11°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Riverton, 9 km away (about 20 min by car).

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$1,740–US$3,300 each

about US$1,740–US$3,300 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to IVC, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$884–US$1,830
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$74–US$121
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$563
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,740–US$3,300

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Riverton

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Riverton

about 20 min by car · 9 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 9 places to stay in Riverton · Booking.com

About Riverton its beds, food and every spot near it

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 30m

About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → IVC, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.