Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial perspective of Torquay Bowls . March 2019
Torquay, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Bob Tan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bancoora

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

51Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 80 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
302kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 54 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
226kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
88kJ
Wind
WNW 13 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 49 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
235kJ
Wind
W 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Fri 6 · 52 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
365kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 17 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
440kJ
Wind
SSW 15 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 28 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 smushy
Energy
452kJ
Wind
SSE 8 kn
Temp
13°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 159, fair
  2. Mon 280, good
  3. Tue 354, fair
  4. Wed 425, too small
  5. Thu 549, fair
  6. Fri 652, fair
  7. Sat 717, poor
  8. Sun 828, poor
  9. Mon 959, fair
  10. Tue 1021, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Bancoora, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov59, fair3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots19°C
Mon 2Nov80, good4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)302kJwind from the south, 4 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov54, fair4 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.)226kJwind from the south, 7 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov25, too small2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the west-north-west, 13 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov49, fair5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)235kJwind from the west, 6 knots16°C
Fri 6Nov52, fair5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)365kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots, offshore19°C
Sat 7Nov17, poor5 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.)440kJwind from the south-south-west, 15 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov28, poor5 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.)452kJwind from the south-south-east, 8 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov59, fair4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)195kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov21, too small2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-north-east, 12 knots, offshore22°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 04:43 +1.3 mLow 10:26 −0.6 mHigh 16:24 +0.8 mLow 22:27 −1.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:27 +1.2 mLow 11:09 −0.6 mHigh 17:14 +0.8 mLow 23:14 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:13 +1.0 mLow 11:57 −0.6 mHigh 18:12 +0.7 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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bancoora

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (163°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (343°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 66). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Torquay, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,920–US$3,660 each

about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$958–US$2,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout US$1,920–US$3,660

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

Closest

Barwon Heads

13 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Barwon Heads · Booking.com

About Barwon Heads its beds, food and every spot near it

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 29h 35m

About 29h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 50m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.