Staying Home Sucks, home
Ash from NSW bush fires on Newcastle beaches
Newcastle - The Groper. Photo: Tim J Keegan from Lake Macquarie, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Newcastle - The Groper

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

32Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 28 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
53kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Tue 3 · 27 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
35kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
41kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 31 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
22kJ
Wind
W 6 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 56 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
154kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
40kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
264kJ
Wind
SSW 14 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 132, too small
  2. Mon 228, too small
  3. Tue 327, poor
  4. Wed 418, too small
  5. Thu 531, too small
  6. Fri 656, fair
  7. Sat 723, too small
  8. Sun 812, poor
  9. Mon 918, poor
  10. Tue 1062, good

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 20 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Newcastle - The Groper, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov32, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)89kJwind from the west, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 2Nov28, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov27, poor3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov18, too small2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)41kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov31, too small2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the west, 6 knots, offshore23°C
Fri 6Nov56, fair5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)154kJwind from the south, 4 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov23, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov12, poor5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)264kJwind from the south-south-west, 14 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov18, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)188kJwind from the south-south-east, 11 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov62, good3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the south-east, 3 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov64, good4 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)227kJwind from the east, 6 knots19°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 01:48 +0.3 mLow 07:08 −0.4 mHigh 13:52 +0.8 mLow 20:54 −0.6 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:04 +0.3 mLow 08:27 −0.3 mHigh 15:02 +0.7 mLow 22:02 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:16 +0.3 mLow 09:50 −0.3 mHigh 16:12 +0.7 mLow 23:01 −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, its town, photos

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.

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.

Photos of Newcastle - The Groper

Nobbys Beach Surf Pavilion, December 2025 01
Photo: DaHuzyBru, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nobby's Beach Pavilion - panoramio - Rob Freijs
Photo: Rob Freijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Newcastle - The Groper

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

The spot faces SE (132°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (312°). 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 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Newcastle, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 24 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 20°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$1,890–US$3,580 each

about US$1,890–US$3,580 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$925–US$1,920
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$1,890–US$3,580

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

Newcastle

2 min by car · 64 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 64 places to stay in Newcastle · Booking.com

About Newcastle 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 29h 25m

About 29h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 30m by road

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