Barrels
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 272kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 297kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 124kJ
- Wind
- WNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 294kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 544kJ
- Wind
- WNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 619kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 644kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 154, fair
- Mon 257, fair
- Tue 338, poor
- Wed 443, poor
- Thu 534, poor
- Fri 620, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1034, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Jul–Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Barrels does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 272kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, poor | 4 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 297kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 34, poor | 5 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 294kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, poor | 6 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 544kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 619kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 644kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 14°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 04:35 +1.1 mLow 10:17 −0.5 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 22:15 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:18 +1.0 mLow 11:00 −0.5 mHigh 17:01 +0.6 mLow 23:02 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:04 +0.9 mLow 11:47 −0.5 mHigh 17:59 +0.6 mLow 23:53 −0.8 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 Jul–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 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
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Barrels on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Barrels
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More surf near here
5 places
- Lorne - S. A.'s 1 km away
- Lorne 1.5 km away
- Lorne Point 1.5 km away
- st george 1.6 km away
- Blue Moons 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Barrels
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 57). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Lorne, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$2,000 |
| 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$1,920–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
3 min by car · 43 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Lorne its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Fairhaven on Booking.com
21 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Wye River on Booking.com
22 min by car · 12 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 30h 15m
About 30h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 25m by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.