Bluff Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
4Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, onshore wind, 19 kn (34 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 930kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 786kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 305kJ
- Wind
- SW 19 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 1,000kJ
- Wind
- WSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,426kJ
- Wind
- WNW 24 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,812kJ
- Wind
- SSW 21 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,529kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 419, poor
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 920, poor
- Tue 1024, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 321kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 12 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 930kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 786kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, poor | 4 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 305kJ | wind from the south-west, 19 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft8 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,000kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft10 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,426kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 24 knots | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft10 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,812kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 21 knots | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,529kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, poor | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 15 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, poor | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | wind from the north-east, 27 knots | 15°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 05:21 +0.5 mLow 13:00 +0.0 mHigh 14:20 +0.0 mLow 21:51 −0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:10 +0.4 mLow 22:26 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:12 +0.3 mLow 23:10 −0.1 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
Bluff Reef 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Arthur River 6.8 km away
- Church Bay 6.9 km away
- Lighthouse Beach 7.4 km away
- Greens 11.5 km away
- green point 12.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bluff Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (290°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (110°). It is sheltered 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 900 m out (1 in 92). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Arthur River, 6.8 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 14°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$1,930–US$3,670 each
about US$1,930–US$3,670 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 BWT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$965–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$1,930–US$3,670 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
12 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Arthur River its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Marrawah on Booking.com
22 min by car · 5 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 33h 25m
About 33h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BWT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), then 1h 50m by road
Flights MDW → BWT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.