A-Bay
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: too small (2 ft swell at 8 s)
Mon 2 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 111, too small
- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 421, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 723, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1018, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 31°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 23°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:17 +0.2 mLow 05:57 −0.6 mHigh 12:59 +0.8 mLow 19:54 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:39 +0.2 mLow 07:16 −0.5 mHigh 14:08 +0.8 mLow 21:01 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:58 +0.3 mLow 08:39 −0.5 mHigh 15:13 +0.7 mLow 21:58 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best May–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
A-Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of A-Bay
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More surf near here
5 places
- Granites 0.8 km away
- T-Tree Bay 0.9 km away
- Boiling Pot 1.6 km away
- Little Cove 2 km away
- Noosa first point 2.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About A-Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (91°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (271°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sunshine Beach, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,860–US$3,520 each
about US$1,860–US$3,520 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,850 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,860–US$3,520 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
4 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Sunshine Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Noosa Heads on Booking.com
5 min by car · 123 places to stay
- Beds in Castaways Beach on Booking.com
9 min by car · 10 places to stay
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 25m
About 28h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.