Staying Home Sucks, home
International fire engine, New Zealand Fire Service, Mosgiel Station
Mosgiel, the nearest town, 10 km away. Photo: Benchill, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Secret Spot

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 58 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 s
Energy
193kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
13°C

Wed 4 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 s
Energy
186kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
13°C

Thu 5 · 39 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
73kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
40kJ
Wind
NNW 14 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 16 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 s
Energy
23kJ
Wind
SE 2 kn
Temp
14°C

Sun 8 · 39 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 s
Energy
87kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
14°C

Mon 9 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
63kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
12°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 224, too small
  2. Tue 358, fair
  3. Wed 462, good
  4. Thu 539, too small
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 716, too small
  7. Sun 839, too small
  8. Mon 926, too small
  9. Tue 1034, too small
  10. Wed 1118, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind 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.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Secret Spot, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov24, too small2 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots13°C
Tue 3Nov58, fair4 ft9 s4 ft at break (est.)193kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots13°C
Wed 4Nov62, good4 ft9 s4 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots13°C
Thu 5Nov39, too small3 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the south, 1 knot14°C
Fri 6Nov45, fair3 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore21°C
Sat 7Nov16, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots14°C
Sun 8Nov39, too small2 ft10 s3 ft at break (est.)87kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots14°C
Mon 9Nov26, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)63kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots12°C
Tue 10Nov34, too small2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.)48kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov18, poor4 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.)74kJwind from the south-west, 19 knots12°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 NovLow 03:21 −0.8 mHigh 09:45 +0.8 mLow 16:02 −0.8 mHigh 22:13 +0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.9 mHigh 10:48 +0.8 mLow 17:03 −0.8 mHigh 23:15 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:28 −0.9 mHigh 11:47 +0.8 mLow 18:00 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

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 Secret Spot

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

The spot faces SE (149°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (329°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea is about 10°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in February, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Mosgiel, 9.8 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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$1,670–US$3,200 each

about US$1,670–US$3,200 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 DUD, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$871–US$1,820
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$27–US$40
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$1,670–US$3,200

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

Mosgiel

about 20 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Mosgiel · Booking.com

About Mosgiel 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 30h

About 30h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → DUD, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road

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