Staying Home Sucks, home
Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island
Vivonne Bay, the nearest town, 30 km away. Photo: World4srk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hanson Bay

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

1Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 10 s, onshore wind, 18 kn (33 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 smushy
Energy
1,083kJ
Wind
SSE 9 kn
Temp
16°C

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
750kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 5 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
482kJ
Wind
WSW 18 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
1,277kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
1,777kJ
Wind
W 15 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,507kJ
Wind
SSE 10 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
939kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 149, fair
  2. Mon 20, too big
  3. Tue 30, too big
  4. Wed 45, poor
  5. Thu 50, too big
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 70, too big
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 979, good
  10. Tue 106, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Hanson Bay, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov49, fair4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)190kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots19°C
Mon 2Nov0, too big7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.)1,083kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots16°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big7 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)750kJwind from the west, 4 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov5, poor5 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.)482kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots15°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big9 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)1,277kJwind from the west, 8 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,777kJwind from the west, 15 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big10 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.)1,507kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft9 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)939kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov79, good4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)247kJwind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore23°C
Tue 10Nov6, too small2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the west, 16 knots17°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 04:33 +0.5 mLow 20:33 −0.4 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:04 +0.3 mLow 20:32 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:30 +0.2 mLow 20:00 −0.2 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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hanson Bay

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

The spot faces S (180°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (0°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Vivonne Bay.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,950–US$3,700 each

about US$1,950–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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$985–US$2,040
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$1,950–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: Vivonne Bay

Closest

Vivonne Bay

52 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Vivonne Bay · Booking.com

About Vivonne Bay its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Vivonne Bay, 30 km (about 55 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 32h

About 32h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 3h 40m by road

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