Flat Rock Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
26Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- S 26 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- SSE 14 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 224, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 520, too small
- Fri 644, poor
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 932, poor
- Tue 1051, fair
- Wed 1151, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May, Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the west, 8 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the south, 26 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 21°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 02:42 +0.2 mLow 08:12 −0.4 mHigh 15:02 +0.8 mLow 22:04 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:01 +0.2 mLow 09:37 −0.4 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:07 +0.4 mLow 10:54 −0.4 mHigh 17:13 +0.7 mLow 23:50 −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 May, Aug
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
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 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
Flat Rock 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Flat rock 0.2 km away
- Flat Rock - Ballina - Left 0.2 km away
- Backsides 0.3 km away
- Sharps Beach 0.6 km away
- Black Head 2.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Flat Rock Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (82°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (262°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 71). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and August, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and February, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ballina, 4.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 14 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 23°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$1,860–US$3,520 each
about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,850 |
| 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$1,860–US$3,520 |
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 10 min by car · 16 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Lennox Head its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ballina on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 29 places to stay
- Beds in Suffolk Park on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 42 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 29h 30m
About 29h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 15m by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.