Tumble Down Bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
11Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (4 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- NNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 230kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 114, too small
- Mon 21, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 420, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 63, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Tumble Down Bay does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 14, too small | 5 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 302kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 230kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 10°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 03:17 −0.9 mHigh 09:40 +1.0 mLow 15:58 −0.9 mHigh 22:08 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:19 −0.9 mHigh 10:41 +1.0 mLow 16:59 −0.9 mHigh 23:10 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:22 −0.9 mHigh 11:42 +0.9 mLow 17:58 −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
Tumble Down 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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More surf near here
2 places
- Hickory Bay 15 km away
- Stony Beach 21.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tumble Down Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (305°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (125°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 33). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Akaroa, 2.7 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 14°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$1,770–US$3,360 each
about US$1,770–US$3,360 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 CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| 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$1,770–US$3,360 |
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
5 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Akaroa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Te Oka on Booking.com
23 min by car
- Beds in Okains Bay on Booking.com
28 min by car · 1 place 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 27h 10m
About 27h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 1h 15m by road
Flights MDW → CHC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.