Stewart Island – Saber Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Southland, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
- Live Weather
- Surf Webcam
Weather State
Spot Information

Stewart Island - Saber Reef Surf Guide

Stewart Island - Saber Reef in Southland is an exposed reef break that has very consistent surf and works all around the year. The best wind direction is from the north northeast. Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the southeast. An uncrowded break, even when it is working. Take care of - Urchins - Rips / undertow - Rocks - Sharks.

Stewart Island - Saber Reef Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	4	very consistent	14.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Stewart Island - Saber Reef:

The best conditions reported for surf at Stewart Island - Saber Reef occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Stewart Island - Saber Reef (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Stewart Island - Saber Reef with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 1% of the time in January while 2% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 96% 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

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

too small

96%

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

Explore Stewart Island - Saber Reef Location Map

Interactive Stewart Island - Saber Reef 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 nearest passenger airport to Stewart Island - Saber Reef is Invercargill Airport (IVC) in New Zealand, which is 95 km (59 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Stewart Island - Saber Reef is Manapouri Airport (TEU), also in New Zealand, 184 km (114 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.

Stewart Island - Saber Reef Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 08:37 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	15	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	off	cross- off

Tides at Stewart Island - Saber Reef

Current tide and informaton

For Stewart Island - Saber Reef, 0 km from Stewart Island - Saber Reef.

Next High Water: 04:16pm | 1.91m

Next Low Water: 09:56am | 0.55m

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

Stewart Island - Saber Reef Sea Temperature

The Stewart Island - Saber Reef water temperature is rather cool (14.1 °C) and the air temperature will feel about the same. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.

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