Staying Home Sucks, home
House in Sunshine Beach, Queensland 02
Sunshine Beach, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Marcus Beach

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

15Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
25°C

Tue 3 · 17 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
16kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 shollow
Energy
10kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
13kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
17kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 shollow
Energy
27kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
20kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
23°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 18, too small
  2. Mon 219, too small
  3. Tue 317, too small
  4. Wed 48, too small
  5. Thu 511, too small
  6. Fri 611, too small
  7. Sat 719, too small
  8. Sun 88, too small
  9. Mon 914, too small
  10. Tue 1019, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Aug3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Marcus Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Marcus Beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov8, too small1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the north, 9 knots23°C
Mon 2Nov19, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov17, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the north, 4 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov8, too small1 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the north, 9 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov11, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov19, too small2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the west, 3 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov8, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots23°C
Mon 9Nov14, too small2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov19, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots22°C
Wed 11Nov20, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots22°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 00:15 +0.2 mLow 05:57 −0.6 mHigh 12:58 +0.8 mLow 19:54 −0.5 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 01:38 +0.2 mLow 07:15 −0.5 mHigh 14:07 +0.8 mLow 21:01 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:56 +0.3 mLow 08:38 −0.5 mHigh 15:13 +0.7 mLow 21:57 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Marcus Beach

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

The spot faces E (94°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (274°). 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 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sunshine Beach, 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 24°C: no 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$1,860–US$3,520 each

about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$891–US$1,850
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$1,860–US$3,520

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

Closest

Castaways Beach

4 min by car · 10 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 10 places to stay in Castaways Beach · Booking.com

About Castaways Beach its beds, food and every spot near it

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 28h 25m

About 28h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 10m by road

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