
Chips
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (3 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- WSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 220, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 624, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 917, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
- Wed 118, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 17 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:11 +0.3 mLow 08:33 −0.3 mHigh 14:59 +0.7 mLow 21:57 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:20 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:08 +0.6 mLow 22:56 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:20 +0.4 mLow 11:09 −0.3 mHigh 17:14 +0.6 mLow 23:48 −0.6 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 in Apr
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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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
Chips 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.
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
- Gerroa - Seven Miles Beach 2.2 km away
- Kiama Bombie 3.5 km away
- Werri Beach 5.2 km away
- Seven Mile Beach 6.7 km away
- East Beach 10.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Chips
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 77). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gerroa, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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$1,890–US$3,590 each
about US$1,890–US$3,590 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$926–US$1,920 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| Total | about US$1,890–US$3,590 |
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
about 5 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Gerroa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Werri Beach on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Shoalhaven Heads on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 15 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 55m
About 28h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → SYD on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.