Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 306kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 324kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 369kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 486kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 159, fair
- Mon 259, fair
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 438, too small
- Thu 556, fair
- Fri 658, fair
- Sat 724, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 968, good
- Tue 1065, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Jul3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | wind from the south-west, 0 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 59, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 306kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 4 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 324kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, poor | 5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 369kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 486kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 68, good | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 65, good | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 17 knots, offshore | 16°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 03:23 +0.2 mLow 07:24 +0.0 mHigh 13:25 +0.5 mLow 21:05 −0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:06 +0.2 mLow 08:36 −0.0 mHigh 14:29 +0.5 mLow 21:54 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:45 +0.2 mLow 09:47 −0.1 mHigh 15:34 +0.4 mLow 22:40 −0.5 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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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 and its town
Kelpies Point on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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
4 places
- Shipstern 9.5 km away
- Caves 14 km away
- safety cove reef 14.5 km away
- Eaglehawk Neck 23 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kelpies Point
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (209°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (29°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 106). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually July, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is White Beach, 3.5 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 14°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$1,860–US$3,560 each
about US$1,860–US$3,560 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 HBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$1,990 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$87–US$141 |
| 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$1,860–US$3,560 |
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
6 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About White Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Nubeena on Booking.com
12 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Port Arthur on Booking.com
23 min by car · 15 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 32h 10m
About 32h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → HBA, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h by road
Flights MDW → HBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.