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Best Beginner Surf Spots in Dunedin (2026 Guide)

Campbells Bay quietly led Dunedin with 288 beginner-friendly days last year, while St Clair delivered the easiest access to lessons and rentals. Cold water, but a big payoff!

Tobias, Founder of Swellify
By Tobias
A view of St. Clair, Otago, New Zealand
A view of St. Clair, Otago, New Zealand · Photo by Phillip Capper (CC BY 2.0)

Looking for beginner-friendly waves in Dunedin? Dunedin is the real deal. Cold water, serious coastline, and a lot more consistency than most people expect. It’s exposed, powerful at times, but when conditions line up, beginners get a ton of opportunity here. Especially if you know where to look.

As a beginner surfer, mellow, small to medium-size waves are best for practicing and improving. Today we’ll be ranking these Dunedin surf spots based on:

  1. How many days each spot had 3+ hours of “good” surf for beginners in 2025
  2. How many days each spot had 3+ hours of perfect surf (ideal wave size and winds) for beginners in 2025

These rankings are based on real data: an entire year of Swellify surf data from 34 breaks around Dunedin. We wanted to find the beaches that gave you the most genuine opportunities to practice and improve.

Let’s crack into it!

If You Need Lessons

Dunedin is excellent if you want to learn properly, with legit beach breaks and services close by.

  1. St Clair 🥇 279 good days, 115 perfect days

    St Clair is the classic Dunedin learner setup. Big beach, plenty of room, and everything right there.

  2. Brighton 🥈 274 good days, 129 perfect days

    Brighton delivers slightly more quality days than St Clair, but you’ll need to drive for services.

    Note: both Esplanade Surf School and Hydro Surf Shop are about 20 minutes away by car.

  3. Ocean View 🥉 261 good days, 127 perfect days

    Ocean View sneaks in with a strong perfect-day count.

    Note: lessons and rentals are about 15 minutes away by car via the same St Clair operators.

If You Need Rentals (But Not Lessons)

Good news. The same spots work beautifully if you just need a board.

  1. St Clair 🥇 rentals literally right there at Hydro Surf Shop. Couldn’t be easier.
  2. Brighton 🥈 rentals available with a short drive into town.
  3. Ocean View 🥉 similar deal. A bit of driving, but totally doable.

If convenience matters most, St Clair wins this category by a mile.

If You Have Your Own Gear

This is where Dunedin really flexes.

  1. Campbells Bay 🥇 288 good days, 143 perfect days

    This is the standout. The most beginner-friendly surf days in the entire region, and it’s not even close. No lessons, no rentals, no crowds. Just bring your board and pick your windows.

  2. Oamaru South 🥈 279 good days, 148 perfect days

    Slightly fewer total days than Campbells Bay, but an incredible quality ratio. When it’s good, it’s really good.

  3. St Clair 🥉 still a powerhouse even if you don’t need lessons, with excellent consistency year-round.

The big insight here? The most consistent beginner surf in Dunedin isn’t where the lessons are. If you’ve got your own gear, you can get great consistency throughout the year.

The Bottom Line

Dunedin delivered 288+ surfable days for beginners at the top spots last year. The only way you miss out is if you're not paying attention.

Need lessons? St Clair is your easiest and most reliable option.

Need rentals? Same answer. St Clair keeps it simple.

Have your own gear? Campbells Bay and Oamaru South are absolute weapons for consistency.

Dunedin is exposed, powerful, and cold, but that exposure is exactly why it delivers. Dress warm, respect the ocean, and you’ll get more beginner opportunities here than almost anywhere else in the South Island.

Remember, different surf spots suit different levels. If you want to stop guessing and start surfing more, that's literally what we built Swellify for. Thanks for reading! 🤙

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Heading north? Christchurch is 4.5 hours up the coast — Leithfield and Waimairi both crack 200+ good days with easier access to rentals and lessons.

See all 20 regions in our Complete Beginner's Guide to Surfing in New Zealand.

Tobias Work, Founder of Swellify

Tobias is the Founder of Swellify, a surf forecasting app built in Wellington that helps surfers like you catch more waves with way less hassle. After "accidentally" moving to New Zealand in 2019 and falling in love with Aotearoa, he's spent years obsessively studying every beach, point break, and island to make sure Swellify's 420+ spots are dialed in. Got any feedback or a killer session to share? Flick him an email at tobias@swellify.app.