Staying Home Sucks, home
ISS008-E-18328 - View of the Cook Islands
Nikao, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Black Rock

Surf spot · Cook Islands

Is it worth the trip?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 shollow
Energy
464kJ
Wind
SE 28 kn
Temp
22°C

Tue 3 · 12 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 shollow
Energy
522kJ
Wind
SE 22 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 shollow
Energy
486kJ
Wind
ESE 17 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 31 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
105kJ
Wind
ESE 14 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 50 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 shollow
Energy
522kJ
Wind
ESE 18 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 70 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
500kJ
Wind
ESE 16 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 54 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 shollow
Energy
254kJ
Wind
E 21 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, too big
  2. Tue 312, poor
  3. Wed 40, too big
  4. Thu 531, too small
  5. Fri 650, fair
  6. Sat 770, good
  7. Sun 854, fair
  8. Mon 932, poor
  9. Tue 1043, poor
  10. Wed 1144, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–17 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Black Rock does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Black Rock, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov0, too big6 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)464kJwind from the south-east, 28 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov12, poor6 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)522kJwind from the south-east, 22 knots, offshore21°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big6 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)486kJwind from the east-south-east, 17 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov31, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)105kJwind from the east-south-east, 14 knots, offshore23°C
Fri 6Nov50, fair4 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)522kJwind from the east-south-east, 18 knots, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov70, good5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)500kJwind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov54, fair5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)254kJwind from the east, 21 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov32, poor6 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)367kJwind from the east-south-east, 21 knots, offshore24°C
Tue 10Nov43, poor5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)222kJwind from the east-south-east, 21 knots, offshore23°C
Wed 11Nov44, too small4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)153kJwind from the east-south-east, 19 knots, offshore22°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 NovHigh 01:37 +0.3 mLow 08:05 −0.3 mHigh 14:15 +0.3 mLow 20:30 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:44 +0.3 mLow 09:10 −0.3 mHigh 15:23 +0.3 mLow 21:47 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 04:00 +0.2 mLow 10:20 −0.2 mHigh 16:35 +0.3 mLow 23:06 −0.3 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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Black Rock

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

The spot faces NW (310°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (130°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Nikao, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 dive sites.

Water about 26°C: no 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$1,190–US$2,290 each

about US$1,190–US$2,290 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to RAR, estimated from distance and season, changing at HNL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$658–US$1,380
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$34
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$329
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$416
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,190–US$2,290

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

Nikao

about 5 min by car · 13 places to stay

See 13 places to stay in Nikao · Booking.com

About Nikao its beds, food and every spot near it

Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 22h 50m

About 22h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → RAR, changing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), then 20 min by road

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

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