WorldNew Caledonia › Sud › Néra Rivermouth

Néra Rivermouth 76.9

#1635 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇳🇨 New Caledonia · Sud · near Nouméa

Very consistent, no off season, gentle enough to learn.

Works all yearWarm waterBeginner friendlyBeginner
Néra Rivermouth, New Caledonia
Photo: Roman Barthe · CC BY 3.0 · source
Surf score76.9 /100
Surfable days90% of the year
Clean days32% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell33% period 11 s+
Typical size0.9 m 3.0 ft median
Water26°C boardshorts

Best time to surf Néra Rivermouth

The best time to surf Néra Rivermouth is April, May, September. The season runs Apr to Apr. In September the water sits around 24°C, so pack a rash vest or 2 mm, and the typical wave is 1.0 m. The nearest airport is NOU (89 km) and the nearest town is Nouméa (124 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan94%21%0.9 m28°Cboardies
Feb90%18%0.9 m28°Cboardies
Mar92%34%0.8 m28°Cboardies
Apr97%40%1.0 m27°Cboardies
May92%39%1.0 m26°Cboardies
Jun89%37%1.0 m25°Cboardies
Jul94%34%1.0 m24°Cvest
Aug94%35%1.0 m24°Cvest
Sep89%42%1.0 m24°Cvest
Oct83%32%0.8 m25°Cvest
Nov83%23%0.9 m27°Cboardies
Dec80%21%0.8 m27°Cboardies

What is under Néra Rivermouth

Eight kilometres out along its swell window the sea floor is still shallow, 9 m.

Depth 8 km out9 m
Depth 4 km out6 m

Measured, not estimated: NOAA ETOPO 2022 global relief at 15 arc-seconds, about 460 m per cell, sampled along this spot’s own swell window. At that scale the survey sees passes and channels; it cannot see a reef ledge, so nothing here is said about how the wave breaks.

Why 76.9

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
23.2
Best days 22.4%
6.9
Clean days 18.4%
14.5
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
5.6
Access 4.1%
2.0

The detail

Faces 220° with 25% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 95% of days. Mean peak period 10.8 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 1.4 m, with a peak period of 14 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 79%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates -21.622, 165.462 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€1,640/ month
typically €1,440 – €1,840
Rent, one bedroom€863
Groceries€344
Eating out€196
Getting around€115
Phone + internet€123
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€3,200/ month
typically €2,820 – €3,590
Somewhere to stay€1,890
Eating out€672
Car, transfers, fuel€434
Data + extras€204
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Remote spot, so the local estimate is 15% below the country average. Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for New Caledonia (2025, United States = 1.00) (no separate series, so we scale FR) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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