Staying Home Sucks, home
Waimārama and Te Motu-o-Kura, August 2026
Waimārama, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Jakob (TheLoyalOrder), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ocean beach

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

33Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

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

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 ssoft
Energy
11kJ
Wind
NNW 6 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 21 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 smushy
Energy
98kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 43 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
107kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 27 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
32kJ
Wind
NNW 11 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 46 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
69kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 36 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
58kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
23°C

Mon 9 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
38kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 241, too small
  2. Tue 38, too small
  3. Wed 421, too small
  4. Thu 543, poor
  5. Fri 627, poor
  6. Sat 746, fair
  7. Sun 836, too small
  8. Mon 923, too small
  9. Tue 1042, poor
  10. Wed 1139, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Aug2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Ocean beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov41, too small3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore24°C
Tue 3Nov8, too small1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov21, too small2 ft11 smushy2 ft at break (est.)98kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov43, poor3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)107kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov27, poor3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the north-north-west, 11 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov46, fair4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the north, 9 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov36, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore23°C
Mon 9Nov23, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)38kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov42, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov39, poor3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)47kJwind from the north, 11 knots21°C
Thu 12Nov41, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore19°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 05:49 −0.8 mHigh 12:07 +0.8 mLow 18:28 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:37 +0.7 mLow 06:47 −0.8 mHigh 13:05 +0.8 mLow 19:25 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:35 +0.7 mLow 07:46 −0.8 mHigh 14:03 +0.8 mLow 20:23 −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.

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.

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

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Ocean beach

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

The spot faces E (108°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (288°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 116). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimārama, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 16°C: 3/2 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$1,740–US$3,290 each

about US$1,740–US$3,290 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$825–US$1,720
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$564
Food7 days eating outabout US$302–US$564
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,740–US$3,290

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

Waimārama

about 15 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Waimārama · Booking.com

About Waimārama its beds, food and every spot near it

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 29h 35m

About 29h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 05m by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.