Horseshoe Bay
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 6 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 280kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- WSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 303kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 407kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 502kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 366kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 335, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 733, poor
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 105, too small
- Wed 117, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 4 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 363kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 280kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 6 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 303kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 5 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 407kJ | offshorewind from the west, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, poor | 6 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 502kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 5 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 366kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft11 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the south, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 7, too small | 3 ft11 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 242kJ | wind from the south-east, 14 knots | 14°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 06:02 +0.4 mLow 10:40 +0.2 mHigh 12:47 +0.2 mLow 21:30 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:16 +0.2 mLow 11:01 +0.2 mHigh 13:17 +0.2 mLow 21:34 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:33 +0.1 mLow 05:48 +0.1 mHigh 09:15 +0.1 mLow 11:44 +0.1 mHigh 13:32 +0.1 mLow 18:58 −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.
Best time to go
best in Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Horseshoe Bay on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Horseshoe Bay
More surf near here
5 places
- Knights 0.8 km away
- chicken run (bashams beach) 1.1 km away
- Frenchies 1.2 km away
- Bullies 1.6 km away
- Bashams bommie 1.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Horseshoe Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (144°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (324°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best month is usually July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Victor Harbor, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 17°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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| 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$1,950–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: 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
about 10 min by car · 17 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Middleton its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Victor Harbor on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 34 places to stay
- Beds in Goolwa on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 25 places to stay
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 29h 50m
About 29h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 1h 30m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.