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Whale Bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 6 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Wed 4 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 281kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 664kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 593kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 10 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 294kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 423, too small
- Thu 530, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 945, fair
- Tue 1019, too small
- Wed 1115, poor
- Thu 1216, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 281kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 5 ft12 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 664kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 593kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 294kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 15, poor | 6 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 393kJ | wind from the north-west, 14 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 16, poor | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 281kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 16°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:57 +0.9 mLow 11:07 −1.0 mHigh 17:30 +1.1 mLow 23:53 −1.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:13 +0.9 mLow 12:18 −1.0 mHigh 18:40 +1.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 00:58 −1.1 mHigh 07:18 +1.0 mLow 13:21 −1.1 mHigh 19:40 +1.2 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
best in Jun
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Whale Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Raglan - Whale Bay 0.9 km away
- Manu Bay 1.8 km away
- Raglan - Manu Bay 2.2 km away
- Ngarunui 3.7 km away
- Ngarunui Beach 3.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Whale Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 2 good days in 7; in September, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Raglan, 8.4 km away (23 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.
Water about 17°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$3,300 each
about US$1,740–US$3,300 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$832–US$1,720 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| 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$1,740–US$3,300 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Raglan
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23 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Raglan 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 26h 40m
About 26h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 50m by road
Flights MDW → AKL 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.