Staying Home Sucks, home
O'Neill Bay Sunset
Near O'neals. Photo: russellstreet, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

O'neals

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

30Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 10 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 25 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 shollow
Energy
247kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
89kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
259kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
358kJ
Wind
ENE 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 16 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
110kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
81kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 44 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
687kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 144, poor
  2. Mon 225, too small
  3. Tue 318, too small
  4. Wed 428, too small
  5. Thu 537, too small
  6. Fri 616, too small
  7. Sat 714, too small
  8. Sun 844, poor
  9. Mon 953, fair
  10. Tue 1039, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in Feb3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at O'neals, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov44, poor8 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,183kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore17°C
Mon 2Nov25, too small4 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.)247kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov18, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)89kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov28, too small3 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)259kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 5Nov37, too small4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.)358kJwind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore19°C
Fri 6Nov16, too small3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the north, 8 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov14, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the north, 7 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov44, poor6 ft10 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)687kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov53, fair6 ft11 shollow8 ft at break (est.)625kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov39, too small5 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.)503kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov8, too small3 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)232kJwind from the north-west, 17 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

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 02:23 +1.0 mLow 08:42 −1.1 mHigh 14:58 +1.1 mLow 21:25 −1.0 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:32 +0.9 mLow 09:50 −1.0 mHigh 16:10 +1.0 mLow 22:38 −1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:50 +0.8 mLow 11:04 −0.9 mHigh 17:26 +1.0 mLow 23:50 −1.0 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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of O'neals

Kauwahaia Island - O'Neill Bay
Near O'neals. Photo: russellstreet, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
New Zealand intertidal zone rock formation
Near O'neals. Photo: Jacqui Geux, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About O'neals

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

The spot faces W (252°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (72°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 19). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7; in September and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Muriwai, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,690–US$3,210 each

about US$1,690–US$3,210 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$831–US$1,720
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$87–US$141
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$1,690–US$3,210

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

Closest

Muriwai

8 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Muriwai · Booking.com

About Muriwai 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 25h 45m

About 25h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h by road

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