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Black rock
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
8Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (2 ft swell at 7 s)
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- S 17 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SW 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 27, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 55, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
- Wed 1136, 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 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May, Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the south, 17 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 6 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 385kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 36, too small | 5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 265kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 20°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 02:48 +0.2 mLow 08:16 −0.4 mHigh 14:58 +0.8 mLow 21:54 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:02 +0.3 mLow 09:35 −0.4 mHigh 16:06 +0.7 mLow 22:53 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:08 +0.4 mLow 10:52 −0.4 mHigh 17:10 +0.6 mLow 23:45 −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.
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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 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
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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 and its town
Black rock on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Nambucca Heads - Breakwater 1 km away
- Suck Rock 10.8 km away
- Scotts Head 11.9 km away
- Urunga 16.8 km away
- Grassy Head 17 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Black rock
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (95°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (275°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nambucca Heads, 2.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 22°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$1,810–US$3,440 each
about US$1,810–US$3,440 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 CFS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$87–US$141 |
| 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$1,810–US$3,440 |
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
about 5 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Nambucca Heads its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Scotts Head on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 12 places to stay
- Beds in Grassy Head on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 6 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 50m
About 30h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CFS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 1h by road
Flights MDW → CFS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.