Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tue 3 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 285kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 329kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 114kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 284kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 113, too small
- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 333, too small
- Wed 433, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 822, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 33, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, too small | 5 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 329kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 284kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 220kJ | wind from the east, 19 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 6 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 12°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 NovLow 01:32 −0.9 mHigh 07:53 +0.9 mLow 14:11 −0.9 mHigh 20:23 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:39 −0.9 mHigh 09:01 +0.9 mLow 15:17 −0.9 mHigh 21:30 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:46 −0.9 mHigh 10:07 +0.9 mLow 16:20 −0.9 mHigh 22:35 +0.9 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
No month stands out
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 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 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
Porpoise Bay 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
2 places
- Papatowai 28.9 km away
- Long Point 36.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Porpoise Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (150°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (330°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 149). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 11°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in January, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Owaka.
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$1,800–US$3,400 each
about US$1,800–US$3,400 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to IVC, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,830 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| 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$1,800–US$3,400 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
16 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Slope Point its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Owaka on Booking.com
78 min by car
Nearest beds: Owaka, 44 km (about 1h 20m 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 31h 05m
About 31h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → IVC, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 30m by road
Flights MDW → IVC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.