Stingray bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
5Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- WSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 28, too small
- Tue 33, too small
- Wed 42, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 106, too small
- Wed 117, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Apr, Jun, Aug–Sep3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 23°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 05:53 −0.8 mHigh 12:10 +0.8 mLow 18:31 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:40 +0.7 mLow 06:52 −0.8 mHigh 13:08 +0.8 mLow 19:29 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:38 +0.7 mLow 07:51 −0.8 mHigh 14:07 +0.8 mLow 20:27 −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
best Apr, Jun, Aug–Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Stingray 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
5 places
- Mussel Reef 4.4 km away
- The gap 11.9 km away
- Napiers break water...... 15 km away
- West shore beach 15.8 km away
- Perfume point - The Reef 15.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Stingray bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (115°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (295°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, June, August and September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Napier. Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.
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$1,630–US$3,120 each
about US$1,630–US$3,120 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 NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$824–US$1,720 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$60 |
| 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$1,630–US$3,120 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 35 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Napier its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Haumoana on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 6 places to stay
Nearest beds: Napier, 19 km (about 35 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 05m
About 29h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → NPE on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.