Surf-Forecast | Cable Bay Surf Guide

Cable Bay Surf Guide

Cable Bay in Nelson - Tasman Bay is a quite exposed point break that has inconsistent surf with no particular seasonal pattern. Offshore winds blow from the southeast with some shelter here from west winds. Waves can be ok even in light onshore winds Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the northwest. There is no point break. When the surf is up, it can get quite busy in the water. Take care to avoid the rocks.

Cable Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Point	3	inconsistent	14.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Cable Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Cable Bay occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Cable Bay (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Cable Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 4% of the time in June while 13% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 83% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

13%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

83%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Cable Bay Location Map

Interactive Cable Bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Cable Bay is Nelson Airport (NSN) in New Zealand, 22 km (14 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Cable Bay is Woodbourne Airport (BHE), also in New Zealand, 55 km (34 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Cable Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 21:55 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 10
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)
Period (s)	-	-	-	-
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off

What does Cable Bay look like?

Latest photos from Cable Bay. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Cable Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Cable Bay, 0 km from Cable Bay.

Next High Water: 04:40am | 2.8m

Next Low Water: 10:24pm | 0.81m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Cable Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.9 °C) at Cable Bay is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (14.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.