Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 308kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 214kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- NNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 321, too small
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 572, good
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 847, fair
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1036, too small
- Wed 1158, fair
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.
Tora does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 22 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 308kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 72, good | 4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | offshorewind from the north, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 19°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 05:21 −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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:07 +0.7 mLow 07:18 −0.7 mHigh 13:35 +0.8 mLow 19:54 −0.7 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 Tue 3 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 beginners: 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.
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.