Is it worth the trip?
7Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 2 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too small
- Mon 21, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best May–Jul2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-west, 14 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 02:25 +1.3 mLow 08:33 −1.3 mHigh 14:55 +1.4 mLow 21:15 −1.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:31 +1.1 mLow 09:38 −1.1 mHigh 16:04 +1.2 mLow 22:27 −1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:48 +0.9 mLow 10:54 −1.0 mHigh 17:20 +1.1 mLow 23:44 −1.1 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 May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 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
Magnets 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.
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More surf near here
3 places
- Cable Bay Reef 8 km away
- Cable bay 8.6 km away
- The Glen 15 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Magnets
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (321°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (141°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). 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 beginners the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nelson.
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$1,700–US$3,230 each
about US$1,700–US$3,230 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$74–US$121 |
| 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$3,230 |
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
17 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
29 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Nelson on Booking.com
47 min by car · 4 places to stay
Nearest beds: Nelson, 27 km (about 50 min by car)
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 35m
About 29h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NSN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → NSN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.