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Sandfly Bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 207kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 242kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 154kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 154, fair
- Mon 226, too small
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 646, fair
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 853, fair
- Mon 932, poor
- Tue 1042, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 225kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 207kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 242kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 29, too small | 1 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 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 02:23 −0.8 mHigh 08:47 +0.8 mLow 15:05 −0.8 mHigh 21:15 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:28 −0.8 mHigh 09:51 +0.8 mLow 16:08 −0.8 mHigh 22:20 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:33 −0.8 mHigh 10:54 +0.8 mLow 17:09 −0.8 mHigh 23:21 +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.
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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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, its town, photos
Sandfly Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Sandfly Bay
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More surf near here
5 places
- Smailis Beach 5 km away
- Tomahawk Beach 8.5 km away
- St Kilda Beach 9.7 km away
- St Clair 12.4 km away
- Blackhead 17.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandfly Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (186°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (6°). 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 500 m out (1 in 48). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in August, 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 Port Chalmers, 9.5 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 mountain bike area.
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$1,730–US$3,300 each
about US$1,730–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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to DUD, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$871–US$1,820 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| 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$1,730–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
17 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Port Chalmers its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dunedin on Booking.com
24 min by car · 34 places to stay
- Beds in Mosgiel on Booking.com
42 min by car · 5 places to stay
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 25m
About 30h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → DUD, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → DUD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.