Box Head - Umina
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SSE 0 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 114, too small
- Mon 213, too small
- Tue 334, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 524, too small
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1040, 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 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jun, Sep3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 0 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:49 +0.3 mLow 07:12 −0.4 mHigh 13:53 +0.8 mLow 20:56 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:05 +0.3 mLow 08:31 −0.3 mHigh 15:03 +0.7 mLow 22:03 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:16 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:12 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −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.
Best time to go
best Apr–Jun, Sep
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 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
Box Head - Umina 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.
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.
Photos of Box Head - Umina
More surf near here
5 places
- Killcare 2.7 km away
- Killcare Triangle 2.7 km away
- Putty beach point 2.7 km away
- Killcare Bombie 3 km away
- Ocean Beach,NSW,australia 3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Box Head - Umina
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (157°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (337°). It is exposed 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 400 m out (1 in 40). 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 months are usually April, May, June and September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Brooklyn. Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots.
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$925–US$1,920 |
| 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$1,890–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
19 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Brooklyn its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Terrigal on Booking.com
25 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Mona Vale on Booking.com
27 min by car · 3 places to stay
Nearest beds: Brooklyn, 11 km (about 20 min by car)
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
About 28h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → SYD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.