Cable Bay Reef, New Zealand

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Nelson, 20 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: NSN (NSN), 23 km.

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About Cable Bay Reef

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details 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 beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Nelson, 20 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: NSN (NSN), 23 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 29 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to NSN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → NSN · Skyscanner from about £755 returnAd
Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Cable Bay Reef.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Nelson, 20 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: NSN (NSN), 23 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Cable Bay Reef · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Cable Bay Reef · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Cable Bay Reef on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for beginners, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Cable Bay Reef, each day
Day	Score for beginners	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	6, too small	1 ft2 smushy	1kJ	wind from the north-east, 4 knots	15°C
Mon 19Oct	3, too small	under 1 ft2 s	0kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots	16°C
Tue 20Oct	4, too small	1 ft2 s	0kJ	wind from the north, 4 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	6, too small	1 ft2 s	0kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots	18°C
Thu 22Oct	5, too small	1 ft2 smushy	1kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots	18°C
Fri 23Oct	4, too small	1 ft2 s	0kJ	wind from the north, 3 knots	17°C
Sat 24Oct	10, too small	1 ft4 smushy	5kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots	19°C
Sun 25Oct	24, poor	3 ft4 smushy	21kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots	17°C
Mon 26Oct	6, too small	2 ft4 smushy	8kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots	17°C
Tue 27Oct	5, poor	3 ft5 smushy	51kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 13 knots	17°C
Wed 28Oct	16, too small	2 ft5 smushy	16kJ	wind from the west, 11 knots	14°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for beginner surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to NSN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 45 min by road. About 29h 25 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to NSN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 45 min by road. About 29h 25 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,160–£2,295 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to NSN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£755–£1,570
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£40–£65
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,160–£2,295

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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