Brighton
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 142kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 342, poor
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 540, too small
- Fri 629, too small
- Sat 714, too small
- Sun 833, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1034, too small
- Wed 1125, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Brighton 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 | 25, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 142kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 11°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 77, good | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 11°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 03:21 −0.8 mHigh 09:45 +0.8 mLow 16:02 −0.8 mHigh 22:13 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.9 mHigh 10:48 +0.8 mLow 17:03 −0.8 mHigh 23:15 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:28 −0.9 mHigh 11:47 +0.8 mLow 18:00 −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.
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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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
Brighton 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Brighton Beach 0 km away
- Secret Spot 4.2 km away
- Blue Tops 6.5 km away
- Blackhead 7.9 km away
- St Clair 13 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Brighton
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (145°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (325°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in February, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Mosgiel, 8.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 13°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$1,680–US$3,210 each
about US$1,680–US$3,210 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to DUD, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$872–US$1,820 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$564 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$302–US$564 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,680–US$3,210 |
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
about 15 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Mosgiel its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dunedin on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 34 places to stay
- Beds in Port Chalmers on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 4 places 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h
About 30h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → DUD, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → DUD on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.