Lake Cathie
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 217kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 336kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 118, too small
- Mon 212, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 633, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 931, too small
- Tue 1022, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jun3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 33, too small | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 217kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 336kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, too small | 5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 22, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 36, too small | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 237kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 23°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 01:37 +0.2 mLow 07:01 −0.5 mHigh 13:49 +0.8 mLow 20:46 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:53 +0.2 mLow 08:15 −0.4 mHigh 14:58 +0.7 mLow 21:52 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:06 +0.3 mLow 09:36 −0.4 mHigh 16:07 +0.7 mLow 22:53 −0.6 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 Apr–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 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
- Dec1of 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
Lake Cathie 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Lake Cathie
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More surf near here
5 places
- Lighthouse Beach 2.6 km away
- Bartletts Beach 3.8 km away
- Rainbow Beach, Bonny Hills 4.4 km away
- North Haven 10.2 km away
- Lewis' or South Beach 10.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lake Cathie
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (114°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (294°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 112). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Lake Cathie, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,750–US$3,360 each
about US$1,750–US$3,360 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 PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,880 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$1,750–US$3,360 |
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
1 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Lake Cathie its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bonny Hills on Booking.com
8 min by car · 12 places to stay
- Beds in North Haven on Booking.com
18 min by car · 20 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 30h 35m
About 30h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → PQQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.