Staying Home Sucks, home
Mumbannar (AU), Glenelg River -- 2019 -- 0749
Nelson, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Catholic Thommo's

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

35Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 6 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 51 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
606kJ
Wind
SSW 5 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 7 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
241kJ
Wind
WSW 18 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
782kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 18 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,156kJ
Wind
WNW 17 kn
Temp
16°C

Sat 7 · 12 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,214kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
12°C

Sun 8 · 47 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 smushy
Energy
774kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 34 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
281kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 238, too small
  2. Tue 351, fair
  3. Wed 47, too small
  4. Thu 533, poor
  5. Fri 618, poor
  6. Sat 712, poor
  7. Sun 847, fair
  8. Mon 934, too small
  9. Tue 1040, too small
  10. Wed 1142, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Catholic Thommo's, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov38, too small6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.)579kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots16°C
Tue 3Nov51, fair6 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)606kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov7, too small4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)241kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov33, poor8 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)782kJwind from the west, 10 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov18, poor8 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,156kJwind from the west-north-west, 17 knots16°C
Sat 7Nov12, poor9 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.)1,214kJwind from the south, 10 knots12°C
Sun 8Nov47, fair7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.)774kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov34, too small5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)281kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore16°C
Tue 10Nov40, too small5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)461kJwind from the east, 7 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov42, too small5 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.)591kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots17°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 05:14 +0.3 mLow 11:09 +0.1 mHigh 12:37 +0.1 mLow 21:19 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:55 +0.2 mLow 11:32 +0.1 mHigh 12:15 +0.1 mLow 21:28 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 07:31 +0.1 mLow 19:42 −0.1 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 and its town

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.

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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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Catholic Thommo's

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

The spot faces S (196°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (16°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 61). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Nelson, 2.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 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$1,890–US$3,610 each

about US$1,890–US$3,610 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 MGB, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$978–US$2,030
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$94–US$154
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$1,890–US$3,610

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 2 towns

Closest

Nelson

4 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Nelson · Booking.com

About Nelson 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 32h 35m

About 32h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MGB, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), then 1h by road

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