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Best Time to Ride · Surfing · May · Oceania

Where to go surfing in Oceania in May

The 29 best surfing spots in Oceania in May, ranked by wave height.

Find the best time to goTap a spot to see when to go: wind, waves, water temperature, sun and rain in every month, from years of weather statistics.

Updated October 2026 · weather data 2022–2026

In short

Best for surfing in Oceania in May: Tahiti – Teahupo'o (French Polynesia), Tavarua – Cloudbreak (Fiji) & Noosa – Noosa River (Australia).
Water at the top 10: 17–29°C.
Warm enough for no wetsuit: Tahiti – Teahupo'o, Tavarua – Cloudbreak & Oahu – Kailua Beach.
For beginners: Noosa – Noosa River, Ahipara & New Plymouth – Fitzroy Beach.

By continent

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Tahiti – Teahupo'oFrench Polynesia · water 28°C · air 29°C2.5 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ PPT 51 km 2

Tavarua – CloudbreakFiji · water 29°C · air 29°C2 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ NAN 30 km 3

Noosa – Noosa RiverAustralia · water 23°C · air 23°C2.1 m wavesBeginner-friendly · shorty · ✈ MCY 22 km 4

Oahu – Kailua BeachUnited States · water 25°C · air 27°C1.9 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ HNL 22 km 5

LancelinAustralia · water 22°C · air 23°C2.7 m wavesIntermediate and up · shorty · ✈ PER 119 km 6

Margaret River – Surfers PointAustralia · water 21°C · air 20°C2.5 m wavesAdvanced only · 3/2 wetsuit · ✈ PER 244 km 7

Oahu – HaleiwaUnited States · water 26°C · air 27°C1.7 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ HNL 36 km 8

AhiparaNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 18°C2.5 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ KAT 16 km 9

Raglan – Manu BayNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 17°C2.4 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ HLZ 46 km 10

PihaNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 18°C2.1 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ AKL 29 km 11

New Plymouth – Fitzroy BeachNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 16°C2.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ NPL 8 km 12

MuriwaiNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 17°C2.1 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ AKL 38 km 13

Kanaha Beach Park – MauiUnited States · water 25°C · air 28°C1.5 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ OGG 0 km 14

Taranaki – Stent RoadNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 16°C2.3 m wavesAdvanced only · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ NPL 43 km 15

Maui – Ho'okipaUnited States · water 25°C · air 28°C1.5 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ OGG 9 km 16

OpunakeNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 16°C2.2 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ NPL 57 km 17

Gisborne – Wainui BeachNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 17°C2.2 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ GIS 9 km 18

Wellington – Lyall BayNew Zealand · water 16°C · air 15°C2.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ WLG 1 km 19

Coronation BeachAustralia · water 22°C · air 25°C1.5 m wavesIntermediate and up · shorty · ✈ GET 30 km 20

Gold Coast – Snapper RocksAustralia · water 23°C · air 22°C1.4 m wavesIntermediate and up · shorty · ✈ OOL 4 km 21

Burleigh HeadsAustralia · water 23°C · air 22°C1.4 m wavesAdvanced only · shorty · ✈ OOL 10 km 22

Kaikōura – MangamaunuNew Zealand · water 13°C · air 16°C2.2 m wavesIntermediate and up · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ BHE 88 km 23

Dunedin – St ClairNew Zealand · water 13°C · air 14°C2.3 m wavesIntermediate and up · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ DUD 23 km 24

Mount Maunganui – Main BeachNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 17°C1.6 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ TRG 5 km 25

PapamoaNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 17°C1.6 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ TRG 9 km 26

Whangamatā BarNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 17°C1.5 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ TRG 58 km 27

Byron Bay – The PassAustralia · air 22°C1.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · ✈ BNK 23 km 28

Christchurch – SumnerNew Zealand · water 13°C · air 15°C1.4 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ CHC 20 km 29

Christchurch – New BrightonNew Zealand · air 15°C1.2 m wavesIntermediate and up · ✈ CHC 16 km

The 29 spots with the best surfing conditions in May, from years of weather data, ranked by wave height and, a little, warm water. Wave height: average daily maximum.

Questions

Where is the best surfing in Oceania in May?

Tahiti – Teahupo'o (French Polynesia): 2.5 m waves; Tavarua – Cloudbreak (Fiji): 2 m waves; Noosa – Noosa River (Australia): 2.1 m waves.

Where is the water warm in May?

Tavarua – Cloudbreak: 29°C, no wetsuit; Tahiti – Teahupo'o: 28°C, no wetsuit; Oahu – Haleiwa: 26°C, no wetsuit.

Where can beginners go surfing in May?

Good spots for beginners this month: Noosa – Noosa River, Ahipara & New Plymouth – Fitzroy Beach.

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