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Surf Break: Sumner Bar

Sumner Bar in Kaikoura is a fairly exposed beach/River Bar break that has inconsistent surf with no particular seasonal pattern. Offshore winds are from the southwest. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the east northeast. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Rarely crowded here. Take care of the strong rips here.

Secret spot? We can hide it!

Overall Sumner Bar Surf Consistency and Wind Distribution

IMPORTANT: Beta version feature! Swell heights are open water values from NWW3. There is no attempt to model near-shore effects. Coastal wave heights will generally be less, especially if the break does not have unobstructed exposure to the open ocean.

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The rose diagram describes the range of swells directed at Sumner Bar through an averag... (show all text)

This picture shows how commonly and how strongly the wind blows from different directio... (show all text)

Also see Sumner Bar surf quality by season and Sumner Bar surf quality by month.

Select Sumner Bar Location Map Detail:

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Use this relief map to navigate to New-Zealand - Canterbury surf breaks and tide stations that are in the area of Sumner Bar

Other Nearby Surf Breaks closest to Sumner Bar:   (click location name for more details)
Closest break	Eddies South Shore	0 mi
Second closest break	Scarborough	2 mi
Third closest break	Taylors Mistake	2 mi
Fourth closest break	Lone Pine Brighton	3 mi
Fifth closest break	Trolley's	4 mi
Wave buoys nearest to Sumner Bar:
Closest wave buoy	SW Hawaii Buoy	4577 mi
Second closest wave buoy	W Hawaii Buoy	4633 mi
Third closest wave buoy	NW Hawaii Buoy	4879 mi
Fourth closest wave buoy	NW Hawaii Buoy	4940 mi
Fifth closest wave buoy	N Hawaii 1 Buoy	5086 mi
Tide stations nearest to Sumner Bar:
Closest tide station	Lyttelton, New Zealand	4 mi
Second closest tide station	Lyttelton, New Zealand (2)	4 mi
Third closest tide station	Akaroa, New Zealand	19 mi
Fourth closest tide station	Akaroa, New Zealand(2)	19 mi
Fifth closest tide station	Kaikoura, New Zealand	92 mi
Ski Resorts closest to Sumner Bar:
Closest ski area	Porters (New Zealand)	59 mi
Second closest ski area	Mount Cheeseman (New Zealand)	60 mi
Third closest ski area	Broken River (New Zealand)	61 mi
Fourth closest ski area	Craigieburn (New Zealand)	61 mi
Fifth closest ski area	Mount Hutt (New Zealand)	61 mi
Town and city forecasts close to Sumner Bar:
Closest city location	Christchurch (New Zealand)	4 mi
Second closest city location	Kaiapoi (New Zealand)	14 mi
Third closest city location	Lincoln (New Zealand)	15 mi
Fourth closest city location	Woodend (New Zealand)	17 mi
Fifth closest city location	Rolleston (New Zealand)	19 mi

• The closest passenger airport to Sumner Bar is Christchurch International Airport (CHC) in New Zealand, which is 19 km (12 miles) away (directly).
• The second nearest airport to Sumner Bar is Timaru Airport (TIU), also in New Zealand, 148 km (92 miles) away.
• The third closest airport is Hokitika Airport (HKK), also in New Zealand, 171 km (106 miles) away.