Saber Reef, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Owaka, is 161 km away. Nearest airport: IVC (IVC), 95 km.

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About Saber Reef

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (165°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (345°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in January, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Owaka, is 161 km away. Nearest airport: IVC (IVC), 95 km.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 31 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to IVC, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → IVC · Skyscanner from about £785 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h from the airport to Saber Reef.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Owaka, is 161 km away. Nearest airport: IVC (IVC), 95 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Saber Reef · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Saber Reef · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Saber Reef on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Saber Reef, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	29, poor	8 ft10 shollow	1,170kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 26 knots	12°C
Mon 19Oct	30, poor	9 ft8 shollow	1,067kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots	12°C
Tue 20Oct	30, too small	6 ft10 shollow	595kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 24 knots, offshore	13°C
Wed 21Oct	41, fair	7 ft9 shollow	710kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 23 knots, offshore	13°C
Thu 22Oct	18, poor	7 ft8 shollow	497kJ	wind from the west, 16 knots	12°C
Fri 23Oct	53, good	7 ft11 shollow	1,189kJ	wind from the north-west, 25 knots, offshore	13°C
Sat 24Oct	50, good	7 ft11 shollow	1,096kJ	wind from the north-west, 30 knots, offshore	14°C
Sun 25Oct	59, good	7 ft10 shollow	1,073kJ	wind from the north-west, 19 knots, offshore	15°C
Mon 26Oct	23, poor	8 ft10 shollow	1,052kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 18 knots	10°C
Tue 27Oct	13, too small	5 ft11 shollow	524kJ	wind from the west, 19 knots	12°C
Wed 28Oct	12, too small	5 ft10 shollow	415kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 35 knots	11°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 expert surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to IVC, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h by road. About 31h 35 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Saber Reef
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 6 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Saber Reef
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Saber Reef
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Saber Reef
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to IVC, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h by road. About 31h 35 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,250–£2,465 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 IVC, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£785–£1,635
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£100–£170
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,250–£2,465

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

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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