Pipeline (Dunedin) Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Otago, New Zealand)

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Pipeline (Dunedin) Surf Guide

Pipeline (Dunedin) in Otago is an exposed River Bar break that only works once in a while with no particular seasonal pattern. Works best in offshore winds from the south southwest. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the north northeast. There is a right hand reef break. Best around low tide. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Beware of sharks/rips.

Pipeline (Dunedin) Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
River bar	3	inconsistent	13.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Pipeline (Dunedin):

The best conditions reported for surf at Pipeline (Dunedin) occur when a North-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South-southwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

decemberBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Pipeline (Dunedin) with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of December. Clean surfable waves are typically found 11% of the time in December while 22% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 67% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

11%

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

blown out

22%

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

too small

67%

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

Explore Pipeline (Dunedin) Location Map

Interactive Pipeline (Dunedin) 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 Pipeline (Dunedin) is Dunedin Airport (DUD) in New Zealand, 48 km (30 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Pipeline (Dunedin) is Oamaru Airport (OAM), also in New Zealand, 81 km (50 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.

Pipeline (Dunedin) Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 17:06 Local Time

m, °C	Monday 04			Tue
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	NE	NE		ENE
Period (s)	7	4	-	5
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	glass	glass	glass

What does Pipeline (Dunedin) look like?

Latest photos from Pipeline (Dunedin). Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Tides at Pipeline (Dunedin)

Current tide and informaton

For Karitane Point, 1 km from Pipeline (Dunedin).

Next High Water: 05:19am | 1.52m

Next Low Water: 11:19pm | 0.44m

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

Pipeline (Dunedin) Sea Temperature

The water temperature (13.0 °C) at Pipeline (Dunedin) 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 (13.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

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