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Chips
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor 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 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- S 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 524, too small
- Fri 625, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 1062, good
- Wed 1144, 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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 18 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 62, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 19°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.
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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
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$3,580 each
about US$1,890–US$3,580 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$925–US$1,920 |
| 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$1,890–US$3,580 |
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
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 30 October 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 · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.