Broken Head
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- S 0 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 183kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 156, fair
- Mon 229, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 424, too small
- Thu 528, too small
- Fri 649, fair
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 828, poor
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1027, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the south, 0 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 183kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, poor | 3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 24°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 01:18 +0.2 mLow 06:50 −0.5 mHigh 13:49 +0.8 mLow 20:55 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:39 +0.2 mLow 08:08 −0.4 mHigh 15:00 +0.8 mLow 22:03 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:58 +0.2 mLow 09:34 −0.4 mHigh 16:08 +0.7 mLow 23:00 −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
No month stands out
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
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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 and its town
Broken Head 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
- Suffolk Park 1.7 km away
- Whites 2.3 km away
- Tallow beach 4 km away
- Byron Bay 7.2 km away
- Byron Bay - The Wreck 7.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Broken Head
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (73°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (253°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 79). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Suffolk Park, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 23°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$1,860–US$3,520 each
about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,850 |
| 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$1,860–US$3,520 |
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 · 42 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Suffolk Park its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Byron Bay on Booking.com
11 min by car · 192 places to stay
- Beds in Lennox Head on Booking.com
20 min by car · 16 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 29h 10m
About 29h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 55m by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.