Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 321kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 265kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 593kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 799kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 659kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 280kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 223, poor
- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 419, poor
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 866, good
- Mon 938, too small
- Tue 1050, fair
- Wed 1166, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
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 | 23, poor | 5 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 594kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 321kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, poor | 4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 265kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 593kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 799kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 659kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 66, good | 4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 280kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 437kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 66, good | 5 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 519kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 15 knots, offshore | 18°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 06:52 +0.4 mLow 21:42 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:14 +0.2 mLow 21:06 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:12 +0.1 mLow 08:15 +0.1 mHigh 13:03 +0.2 mLow 20:29 −0.2 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 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
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Drowners 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
- G Bowls 21.8 km away
- Richard's Reef 30.4 km away
- Willyama Bay 31.3 km away
- West Cape 33.9 km away
- Pondie 34.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Drowners
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (291°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (111°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 95). 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 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Marion Bay.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,950–US$3,710 each
about US$1,950–US$3,710 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$986–US$2,040 |
| 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$1,950–US$3,710 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Marion Bay
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 55 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Marion Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Marion Bay, 30 km (about 55 min by car)
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 31h 05m
About 31h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 45m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.