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?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 10 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 62 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
852kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 14 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
727kJ
Wind
SW 17 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 53 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
1,285kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
16°C

Fri 6 · 31 out of 100

Swell
10 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
1,805kJ
Wind
W 11 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,400kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
14°C

Sun 8 · 35 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
926kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 40 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
365kJ
Wind
NNE 10 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 249, fair
  2. Tue 362, good
  3. Wed 414, poor
  4. Thu 553, fair
  5. Fri 631, poor
  6. Sat 710, poor
  7. Sun 835, poor
  8. Mon 940, too small
  9. Tue 1019, poor
  10. Wed 1121, poor

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 expert surfers at Hanson Bay, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov49, fair9 ft11 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.)1,768kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov62, good7 ft10 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)852kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov14, poor8 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)727kJwind from the south-west, 17 knots15°C
Thu 5Nov53, fair9 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)1,285kJwind from the west, 7 knots16°C
Fri 6Nov31, poor10 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,805kJwind from the west, 11 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov10, poor10 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.)1,400kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots14°C
Sun 8Nov35, poor8 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)926kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov40, too small5 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)365kJwind from the north-north-east, 10 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 10Nov19, poor7 ft12 smushy9 ft at break (est.)1,083kJwind from the south-south-east, 17 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov21, poor7 ft12 smushy9 ft at break (est.)1,174kJwind from the south-east, 18 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 05:04 +0.3 mLow 20:32 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:30 +0.2 mLow 20:00 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:52 +0.1 mLow 06:27 +0.1 mHigh 11:42 +0.1 mLow 18:54 −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 experts: 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$3,710 each

about US$1,950–US$3,710 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$986–US$2,040
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$1,950–US$3,710

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Vivonne Bay

about 55 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 2 November 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.