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Chicken Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 6 ft swell at 9 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h)
Mon 2 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 444kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 511kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 506kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 649kJ
- Wind
- SSW 23 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 458kJ
- Wind
- S 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 241kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- S 19 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 234, poor
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 416, poor
- Thu 58, poor
- Fri 622, poor
- Sat 732, poor
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 915, poor
- Tue 1015, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Mar–Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 695kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 34, poor | 6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 444kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 511kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, poor | 6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 506kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, poor | 6 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 649kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 23 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, poor | 5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 458kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 241kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the south, 19 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 405kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 21 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, poor | 6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 561kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 17°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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:32 +0.3 mLow 11:39 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:31 +0.2 mLow 12:23 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:07 +0.2 mLow 12:56 −0.2 mHigh 22:06 +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.
Best time to go
best Mar–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Chicken Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: 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.
Photos of Chicken Reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Salmon Bay 1.8 km away
- Piss head's 3.3 km away
- North point 4.3 km away
- The basin 4.4 km away
- Strickland Bay 4.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Chicken Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). 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 950 m out (1 in 93). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 22°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rottnest Island, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots.
Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$2,040–US$3,900 each
about US$2,040–US$3,900 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 ORD to PER, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$1,070–US$2,230 |
| 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$2,040–US$3,900 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Rottnest Island
5 min by car
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Rottnest Island 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 33h
About 33h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PER, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → PER on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.