Staying Home Sucks, home
(AUS-South Australia) Victoria Street, Robe 2025-12-12
Robe, the nearest town, 11 km away. Photo: S5A-0043, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hairy Maclareys

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

45Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 60 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
917kJ
Wind
W 2 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 11 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
448kJ
Wind
SW 21 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,237kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 23 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 smushy
Energy
2,190kJ
Wind
W 20 kn
Temp
16°C

Sat 7 · 37 out of 100

Swell
11 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,876kJ
Wind
S 12 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 60 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,215kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 45 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
390kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 243, poor
  2. Tue 360, good
  3. Wed 411, too small
  4. Thu 537, poor
  5. Fri 623, poor
  6. Sat 737, poor
  7. Sun 860, good
  8. Mon 945, fair
  9. Tue 1070, good
  10. Wed 1186, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Expertwho it suits
  • Works 3–20 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Apr, Jun3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Hairy Maclareys does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Hairy Maclareys, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov43, poor8 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,257kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots16°C
Tue 3Nov60, good8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)917kJwind from the west, 2 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov11, too small5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.)448kJwind from the south-west, 21 knots15°C
Thu 5Nov37, poor10 ft9 smushy12 ft at break (est.)1,237kJwind from the west, 10 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov23, poor10 ft11 smushy14 ft at break (est.)2,190kJwind from the west, 20 knots16°C
Sat 7Nov37, poor11 ft9 smushy13 ft at break (est.)1,876kJwind from the south, 12 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov60, good9 ft9 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,215kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore13°C
Mon 9Nov45, fair5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)390kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore16°C
Tue 10Nov70, good6 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)776kJwind from the east, 9 knots, offshore18°C
Wed 11Nov86, good7 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,035kJwind from the east, 12 knots, offshore19°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 05:09 +0.3 mLow 11:42 +0.1 mHigh 12:17 +0.1 mLow 21:07 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:38 +0.2 mLow 20:53 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:14 +0.1 mLow 06:40 +0.1 mHigh 11:27 +0.1 mLow 19:22 −0.1 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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hairy Maclareys

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

The spot faces SW (241°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (61°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For expert surfers the best months are usually April and June, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Robe.

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$1,940–US$3,700 each

about US$1,940–US$3,700 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MGB, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$978–US$2,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout US$1,940–US$3,700

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 2 towns

Closest

Robe

about 20 min by car · 65 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 65 places to stay in Robe · Booking.com

About Robe its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Robe, 11 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 33h 40m

About 33h 40m door to door from Chicago

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

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