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Cape Otway - candles
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 10 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 949kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 335kJ
- Wind
- WNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,144kJ
- Wind
- W 15 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,898kJ
- Wind
- WNW 19 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 11 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 2,029kJ
- Wind
- SW 13 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,514kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 591kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 273, good
- Tue 372, good
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 526, poor
- Fri 629, poor
- Sat 730, poor
- Sun 873, good
- Mon 953, fair
- Tue 1037, poor
- Wed 1124, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Expertwho it suits
- Works 3–20 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Cape Otway - candles does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 9 ft11 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,544kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 72, good | 8 ft9 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 949kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 335kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 14 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, poor | 9 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,144kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, poor | 10 ft10 scrumbling12 ft at break (est.) | 1,898kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 19 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, poor | 11 ft9 smushy13 ft at break (est.) | 2,029kJ | wind from the south-west, 13 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 73, good | 10 ft9 scrumbling12 ft at break (est.) | 1,514kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 53, fair | 6 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 591kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 37, poor | 7 ft11 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,245kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 24, poor | 7 ft12 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,419kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 17 knots | 14°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 04:48 +0.7 mLow 10:26 −0.2 mHigh 15:55 +0.3 mLow 22:15 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:29 +0.5 mLow 11:08 −0.2 mHigh 16:49 +0.3 mLow 23:01 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:15 +0.4 mLow 11:59 −0.2 mHigh 18:14 +0.2 mLow 23:57 −0.3 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 expert surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 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
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Cape Otway - candles on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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 Cape Otway - candles
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More surf near here
5 places
- Elliot River 13.1 km away
- Moo Cows 14.6 km away
- Johanna 14.9 km away
- Infinities 15.4 km away
- Marengo (Point) 15.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cape Otway - candles
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (207°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (27°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Cape Otway, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 15°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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$959–US$2,000 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| 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: 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
about 5 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Cape Otway its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Johanna on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 8 places to stay
- Beds in Apollo Bay on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 74 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 10m
About 31h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 20m by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.