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Early Morning Light on Seven Mile Beach - panoramio
Near Elim. Photo: Rob Freijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Elim

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

19Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 14 kn (26 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
17kJ
Wind
N 6 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
50kJ
Wind
WSW 14 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
20kJ
Wind
WSW 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 11 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
177kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
40kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
92kJ
Wind
SSW 19 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 23 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
212kJ
Wind
SSW 14 kn
Temp
18°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 225, too small
  2. Tue 322, too small
  3. Wed 419, too small
  4. Thu 513, too small
  5. Fri 611, poor
  6. Sat 718, too small
  7. Sun 814, too small
  8. Mon 923, poor
  9. Tue 1018, poor
  10. Wed 1144, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in May2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Elim, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov25, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov22, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the north, 6 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov19, too small2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west-south-west, 14 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov13, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov11, poor5 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)177kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov18, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore21°C
Sun 8Nov14, too small2 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the south-south-west, 19 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov23, poor5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)212kJwind from the south-south-west, 14 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov18, poor3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the west, 4 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 11Nov44, poor5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)298kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots20°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 03:03 +0.2 mLow 08:20 −0.3 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 21:58 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:16 +0.3 mLow 09:44 −0.3 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 22:58 −0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:17 +0.4 mLow 11:00 −0.4 mHigh 17:16 +0.6 mLow 23:48 −0.7 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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Elim

Dark Cloudy Night Ahead - panoramio
Near Elim. Photo: Rob Freijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Elim

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (102°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (282°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 19°C in September, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Forster, 9.8 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 22°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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$925–US$1,920
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout 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

Closest

Elizabeth Beach

about 15 min by car · 21 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 21 places to stay in Elizabeth Beach · Booking.com

About Elizabeth Beach 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 31h 15m

About 31h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 4h 20m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.