Friendly Beaches
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s)
Mon 2 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- WNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- SSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- S 14 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 129, too small
- Mon 212, too small
- Tue 312, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 613, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1020, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Apr–Jul2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the south, 14 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, poor | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 15 knots | 15°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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 02:34 +0.3 mLow 07:35 −0.1 mHigh 13:42 +0.6 mLow 20:58 −0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:35 +0.3 mLow 08:48 −0.1 mHigh 14:48 +0.5 mLow 21:55 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:30 +0.3 mLow 10:02 −0.2 mHigh 15:56 +0.5 mLow 22:50 −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 Apr–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 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
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 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
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Friendly Beaches 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
2 places
- Governors Island 16.6 km away
- Carparks 17.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Friendly Beaches
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (91°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (271°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 90). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bicheno.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,920–US$3,660 each
about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 LST, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and SYD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$1,990 |
| 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$1,920–US$3,660 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Bicheno
29 min by car · 36 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Bicheno its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Bicheno, 16 km (about 30 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 33h 25m
About 33h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LST, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD), then 2h 05m by road
Flights MDW → LST on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.