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Whakatane Heads 15 3 2006
Bay of Plenty, the wider area. Photo: Benjamin J Melville at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dave vondavoorts bay

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
16kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
34kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 36 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
54kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
36kJ
Wind
N 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 25 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
46kJ
Wind
NW 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
29kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 smushy
Energy
13kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 27, too small
  2. Tue 322, too small
  3. Wed 426, too small
  4. Thu 536, poor
  5. Fri 619, too small
  6. Sat 725, poor
  7. Sun 822, too small
  8. Mon 95, too small
  9. Tue 1031, poor
  10. Wed 1129, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best Feb, Apr2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Dave vondavoorts bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Dave vondavoorts bay, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov7, too small1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the north, 11 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov22, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov26, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov36, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)54kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov19, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the north, 10 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov25, poor3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the north-west, 7 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov22, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots19°C
Mon 9Nov5, too small1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov31, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)82kJwind from the north, 7 knots19°C
Wed 11Nov29, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)30kJwind from the west-north-west, 7 knots19°C
Thu 12Nov16, too small1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the west, 7 knots17°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 00:38 +0.8 mLow 06:52 −0.9 mHigh 13:15 +0.9 mLow 19:32 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 01:39 +0.7 mLow 07:52 −0.8 mHigh 14:15 +0.8 mLow 20:35 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 02:43 +0.7 mLow 08:54 −0.8 mHigh 15:17 +0.8 mLow 21:38 −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.

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Dave vondavoorts bay

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

The spot faces NE (29°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (209°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 65). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Papamoa, 3.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 mountain bike area.

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$1,740–US$3,300 each

about US$1,740–US$3,300 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$832–US$1,720
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$564
Food7 days eating outabout US$302–US$564
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: 3 towns

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

Closest

Papamoa

about 10 min by car

about US$127/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Papamoa · Booking.com

About Papamoa 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 27h 45m

About 27h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 3h by road

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