Front Emerald
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 146kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 226, too small
- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 656, fair
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 960, good
- Tue 1058, fair
- Wed 1144, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
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 | 26, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 60, good | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the south, 8 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 02:49 +0.2 mLow 08:15 −0.4 mHigh 14:59 +0.8 mLow 21:58 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:05 +0.3 mLow 09:38 −0.4 mHigh 16:08 +0.7 mLow 22:58 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:11 +0.4 mLow 10:56 −0.4 mHigh 17:12 +0.7 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.
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).
- 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
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 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, its town, photos
Front Emerald 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.
Photos of Front Emerald
More surf near here
5 places
- Shelly's 0.5 km away
- Back Sandy 0.9 km away
- Sandy back reef 1.1 km away
- Sandy Beach 2.1 km away
- Cripplers Rip 3.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Front Emerald
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (117°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (297°). It is exposed 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 800 m out (1 in 79). 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 26°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Emerald Beach, 0.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.
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$1,760–US$3,370 each
about US$1,760–US$3,370 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 CFS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$906–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| 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$1,760–US$3,370 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Emerald Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sandy Beach on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Moonee Beach on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 2 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CFS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → CFS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.