Staying Home Sucks, home
Norah Head, Central Coast
Norah Head, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: FotoSleuth, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Big bommie

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

20Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 16 kn (30 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 16 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
27kJ
Wind
NNE 12 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
23kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
13kJ
Wind
SW 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 19 out of 100

Swell
6 ft6 smushy
Energy
216kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
33kJ
Wind
WNW 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 19 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
150kJ
Wind
SSW 18 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 28 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
151kJ
Wind
SSE 16 kn
Temp
17°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, too small
  2. Tue 316, too small
  3. Wed 423, too small
  4. Thu 58, too small
  5. Fri 619, poor
  6. Sat 713, too small
  7. Sun 819, poor
  8. Mon 928, poor
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 1136, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–12 ftof swell
  • Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in Apr3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Big bommie, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, too small3 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)54kJwind from the east, 6 knots20°C
Tue 3Nov16, too small3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the north-north-east, 12 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov23, too small3 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the east, 6 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov8, too small1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the south-west, 10 knots, offshore19°C
Fri 6Nov19, poor6 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)216kJwind from the east, 7 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov13, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore22°C
Sun 8Nov19, poor4 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the south-south-west, 18 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov28, poor4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the south-south-east, 16 knots17°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big6 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)295kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots19°C
Wed 11Nov36, poor5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)268kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots20°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

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:06 +0.3 mLow 08:30 −0.3 mHigh 15:04 +0.7 mLow 22:03 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:17 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:13 +0.7 mLow 23:03 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:18 +0.4 mLow 11:09 −0.4 mHigh 17:18 +0.6 mLow 23:53 −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.

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.

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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 Big bommie

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

The spot faces E (79°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (259°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Norah Head, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,890–US$3,580 each

about US$1,890–US$3,580 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$925–US$1,920
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$1,890–US$3,580

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Norah Head

about 5 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Norah Head · Booking.com

About Norah Head 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 28h 40m

About 28h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 45m by road

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