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Sumner Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Canterbury, New Zealand)

Sumner Bar break guidePhoto by: Baptiste Marconnet

Sumner Bar Surf Guide

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.

Sumner Bar Spot Info

Type:Rating:
Beach/river bar3
Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
inconsistent
56°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Sumner Bar:

The best conditions reported for surf at Sumner Bar occur when a East-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southwest.

Surf Forecasts:

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

julyBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Sumner Bar with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 8% of the time in July while 9% 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
8%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
9%
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 Sumner Bar Location Map

Interactive Sumner Bar 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 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.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (ft)
  • Live Wind Speed (mph)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (ft)
  • Wind Speed (mph)
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.leaflet.map_placeholder_alt">Map Placeholder Alt</span>
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Sumner Bar Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Saturday, 17 May 2025, 21:08 Local Time
SatSunday 18
9PM0AM3AM6AM
Wave (ft)
0.5
SSE
0.5
SSE
3.5
NE
3
NE
Period (s) 19 19 4 6
Wind (mph)
15
10
10
10
Wind State cross-
on		 on on off

What does Sumner Bar look like?

Latest photos from Sumner Bar. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Woz Credit: Baptiste MarconnetCredit: Rob DaviesCredit: robd

Tides at Sumner Bar

Current tide and informaton
For Lyttelton, New Zealand, 6 miles from Sumner Bar.
Next High Water: 08:37am | 7ft
Tidal range Clock
Next Low Water: 02:23am | 2ft
IS AT (local time)

Sumner Bar Sea Temperature

The water temperature (13.3 °C) at Sumner Bar is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (17.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.
Current Temp*: 56°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite
water-temp
New Zealand Sea TemperatureView Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Sumner Bar

Surf stats for Sumner Bar, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Sumner Bar Location Map
Average Swell
View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Sumner Bar

Wind stats for Sumner Bar, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Sumner Bar Location Map
Average Wind
View Wind Statistics

Sumner Bar Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings
Based on 17 votes.
  • Overall:3.0
  • Quality on a good day:4.1
  • Consistency of Surf:2.1
  • Difficulty Level:3.2
  • Wind and Kite Surfing:2.2
  • Crowds:3.4
  • ...

See all 18 ratings

Review
Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.
ood from New Zealand
“I've scored it and found it to be a fast hollow wall that rolls in fast and doubles in size as water is sucked off the bar causing a barrel that breaks below sea level which creates an even rounder shape than a wave that pitches to the flats ! Very rare to score it working properly.”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Sumner Bar. Click below to view there surf guides.

Wave Buoys Nearest To Sumner Bar:

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