Old Bar
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 177kJ
- Wind
- SSW 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 136, too small
- Mon 229, too small
- Tue 329, poor
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 512, too small
- Fri 657, fair
- Sat 726, too small
- Sun 832, poor
- Mon 953, fair
- Tue 1053, fair
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 21 °C2 mm shorty
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 | 36, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the west, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 81, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 18°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 01:43 +0.2 mLow 07:03 −0.4 mHigh 13:50 +0.8 mLow 20:49 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:00 +0.2 mLow 08:19 −0.4 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 21:56 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:13 +0.3 mLow 09:41 −0.4 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 22:56 −0.7 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
No month stands out
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 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
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 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
Old Bar 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.
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 Old Bar
More surf near here
5 places
- 2nd corner 1.2 km away
- Wallabi point 4.3 km away
- Saltwater Point 6.4 km away
- Diamond beach 7.7 km away
- Black Head point 12.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Old Bar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (119°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (299°). 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 1.4 km out (1 in 145). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Old Bar, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 mountain bike area.
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$1,870–US$3,550 each
about US$1,870–US$3,550 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 PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,880 |
| 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$1,870–US$3,550 |
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 · 11 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Old Bar its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Wallabi Point on Booking.com
6 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Diamond Beach on Booking.com
17 min by car · 12 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 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → PQQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.