Caves
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 460kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 171kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 769kJ
- Wind
- W 14 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 709kJ
- Wind
- SW 18 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 888kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Mon 9 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 346kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 315, poor
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 537, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 960, good
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Caves does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 800kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, poor | 6 ft9 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 460kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 171kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 769kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 709kJ | wind from the south-west, 18 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 888kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 60, good | 5 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 346kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 999kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 815kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 12°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 04:03 +0.2 mLow 08:40 −0.0 mHigh 14:36 +0.5 mLow 21:57 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:46 +0.2 mLow 09:52 −0.1 mHigh 15:41 +0.4 mLow 22:45 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:25 +0.3 mLow 11:01 −0.2 mHigh 16:49 +0.3 mLow 23:30 −0.4 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
Caves 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- safety cove reef 1.8 km away
- Shipstern 7.6 km away
- Kelpies Point 14 km away
- Roaring Beach 18.6 km away
- Eaglehawk Neck 20.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Caves
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (179°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (359°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 12°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Port Arthur, 5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 14°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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to HBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$1,990 |
| 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$1,920–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
9 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Port Arthur its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in White Beach on Booking.com
21 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Nubeena on Booking.com
23 min by car · 6 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 32h 20m
About 32h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → HBA, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → HBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.