Is it worth the trip?
47Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- NW 22 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 287kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 230kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- NNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 117, poor
- Mon 221, too small
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 478, good
- Thu 573, good
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 723, too small
- Sun 827, too small
- Mon 931, too small
- Tue 1040, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °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 | 17, poor | 5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 408kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 24 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 22 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 78, good | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 287kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 73, good | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 230kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 17°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 04:23 −0.7 mHigh 10:41 +0.8 mLow 17:05 −0.8 mHigh 23:13 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:21 −0.8 mHigh 11:39 +0.8 mLow 18:02 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:10 +0.7 mLow 06:19 −0.8 mHigh 12:37 +0.8 mLow 18:58 −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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 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 and its town
Tora 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tora
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (143°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (323°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 55). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Waipawa.
Water about 15°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$1,760–US$3,320 each
about US$1,760–US$3,320 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 WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$844–US$1,750 |
| 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$1,760–US$3,320 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Waipawa
19 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Waipawa its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: Waipawa, 11 km (about 20 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 30h 05m
About 30h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → WLG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.