Cape Spencer
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 8 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 576kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 454kJ
- Wind
- SW 19 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 978kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,334kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 909kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 465kJ
- Wind
- E 16 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 243, poor
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 558, fair
- Fri 629, poor
- Sat 735, poor
- Sun 827, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
- Wed 1126, 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 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 43, poor | 6 ft11 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 843kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 6 ft10 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 576kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 454kJ | wind from the south-west, 19 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 58, fair | 8 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 978kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, poor | 8 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,334kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, poor | 7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 909kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, too small | 5 ft10 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 465kJ | wind from the east, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 385kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 26, too small | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 553kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 17 knots | 21°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 06:40 +0.4 mLow 21:35 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:07 +0.2 mLow 20:55 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:18 +0.1 mLow 08:03 +0.1 mHigh 12:42 +0.1 mLow 20:11 −0.2 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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Cape Spencer on Google Maps · Directions
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Chinamans 3.1 km away
- Pondie 3.8 km away
- Ethels wreck 4.9 km away
- West Cape 7.2 km away
- Richard's Reef 9.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cape Spencer
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). 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 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Marion Bay. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,950–US$3,700 each
about US$1,950–US$3,700 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| 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$1,950–US$3,700 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Marion Bay
about 20 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Marion Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Marion Bay, 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 31h 10m
About 31h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 50m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.