Staying Home Sucks, home
Pebble Beach 0437
Near Cape Schanck. Photo: Sarah Zacharia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Cape Schanck

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

36Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 10 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 34 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
431kJ
Wind
SSW 8 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
171kJ
Wind
NW 9 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 26 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 smushy
Energy
516kJ
Wind
SW 11 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 50 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
1,111kJ
Wind
W 12 kn
Temp
16°C

Sat 7 · 18 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 smushy
Energy
934kJ
Wind
SW 17 kn
Temp
12°C

Sun 8 · 43 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 smushy
Energy
654kJ
Wind
SSE 9 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 34 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
277kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
17°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 247, fair
  2. Tue 334, too small
  3. Wed 420, too small
  4. Thu 526, poor
  5. Fri 650, fair
  6. Sat 718, poor
  7. Sun 843, poor
  8. Mon 934, too small
  9. Tue 1021, too small
  10. Wed 1121, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Cape Schanck, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov47, fair5 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)573kJwind from the north, 9 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 3Nov34, too small5 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.)431kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov20, too small3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)171kJwind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore16°C
Thu 5Nov26, poor6 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)516kJwind from the south-west, 11 knots14°C
Fri 6Nov50, fair8 ft10 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)1,111kJwind from the west, 12 knots16°C
Sat 7Nov18, poor7 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.)934kJwind from the south-west, 17 knots12°C
Sun 8Nov43, poor7 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.)654kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov34, too small4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)277kJwind from the north, 9 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 10Nov21, too small4 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.)411kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov21, too small5 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.)620kJwind from the south-south-east, 12 knots15°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 05:32 +1.2 mLow 11:16 −0.7 mHigh 17:21 +0.8 mLow 23:23 −1.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:19 +1.1 mLow 12:04 −0.7 mHigh 18:19 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:14 −1.0 mHigh 07:09 +0.9 mLow 12:57 −0.7 mHigh 19:27 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

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 Schanck

Pebble Beach 0438
Near Cape Schanck. Photo: Sarah Zacharia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Cape Schanck

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (176°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (356°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Cape Schanck, 4.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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$1,920–US$3,660 each

about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$958–US$2,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout US$1,920–US$3,660

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

Closest

Cape Schanck

about 10 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Cape Schanck · Booking.com

About Cape Schanck its beds, food and every spot near it

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 40m

About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 50m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.