Staying Home Sucks, home
ISS016-E-12846 - View of Victoria, Australia
Near Grinders, 1 km away. Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Grinders

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

43Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
272kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 32 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
83kJ
Wind
WNW 11 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 42 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
193kJ
Wind
WSW 9 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
354kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 14 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
499kJ
Wind
SSW 18 kn
Temp
12°C

Sun 8 · 36 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 smushy
Energy
418kJ
Wind
SE 8 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 53 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
206kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
17°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 272, good
  2. Tue 346, fair
  3. Wed 432, too small
  4. Thu 542, poor
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 714, poor
  7. Sun 836, poor
  8. Mon 953, fair
  9. Tue 1037, poor
  10. Wed 1128, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Grinders, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov72, good5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)416kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore16°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair4 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.)272kJwind from the south, 10 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov32, too small2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)83kJwind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore17°C
Thu 5Nov42, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)193kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov45, fair5 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)354kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore17°C
Sat 7Nov14, poor5 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)499kJwind from the south-south-west, 18 knots12°C
Sun 8Nov36, poor5 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)418kJwind from the south-east, 8 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov53, fair4 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.)206kJwind from the east, 6 knots17°C
Tue 10Nov37, poor3 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.)219kJwind from the south, 7 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov28, poor4 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.)251kJwind from the south, 13 knots15°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 05:24 +1.1 mLow 11:06 −0.6 mHigh 17:10 +0.7 mLow 23:11 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:10 +1.0 mLow 11:54 −0.6 mHigh 18:09 +0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:02 −0.9 mHigh 07:01 +0.8 mLow 12:47 −0.6 mHigh 19:19 +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.

Map

the spot and its town

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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Grinders

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

The spot faces SE (150°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (330°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 75). 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 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Anglesea, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots, 3 wind sports spots and 1 mountain bike area.

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$1,930–US$3,670 each

about US$1,930–US$3,670 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$959–US$2,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$148–US$242
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$356–US$597
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$597
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$235
Totalabout US$1,930–US$3,670

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

Closest

Anglesea

about 5 min by car · 27 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 27 places to stay in Anglesea · Booking.com

About Anglesea 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 29h 50m

About 29h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 05m by road

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