Gibson Steps
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
7Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s, onshore wind, 13 kn (24 km/h)
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 630kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 772kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 313kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 1,061kJ
- Wind
- W 13 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,477kJ
- Wind
- NW 17 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 11 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,772kJ
- Wind
- SSW 16 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,411kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 130, poor
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 433, poor
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 944, poor
- Tue 1054, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 258kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 630kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 772kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 313kJ | wind from the north-west, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft8 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,061kJ | wind from the west, 13 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft10 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,477kJ | wind from the north-west, 17 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft9 smushy13 ft at break (est.) | 1,772kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft9 smushy12 ft at break (est.) | 1,411kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 44, poor | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 19°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 04:04 +0.6 mLow 09:39 −0.0 mHigh 14:16 +0.2 mLow 21:09 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:36 +0.5 mLow 10:06 −0.0 mHigh 14:44 +0.2 mLow 21:45 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:09 +0.3 mLow 10:41 −0.0 mHigh 15:17 +0.2 mLow 22:23 −0.3 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
Gibson Steps 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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Photos of Gibson Steps
More surf near here
4 places
- The point 11.7 km away
- Easter Reef 12.5 km away
- Airports 21.1 km away
- The Well 22.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Gibson Steps
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (215°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (35°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Port Campbell.
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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$2,000 |
| 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: 3 towns
8 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Princetown its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Port Campbell on Booking.com
20 min by car · 33 places to stay
- Beds in Peterborough on Booking.com
38 min by car · 8 places to stay
Nearest beds: Port Campbell, 12 km (about 20 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 31h 25m
About 31h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 40m by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.