Picnic Bay
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: too small (3 ft swell at 9 s), 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 196kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 297kJ
- Wind
- W 17 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- W 18 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 296kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 237kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Mon 9 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 115kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 263, good
- Tue 345, fair
- Wed 418, too small
- Thu 519, poor
- Fri 621, poor
- Sat 723, poor
- Sun 858, fair
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1066, good
- Wed 1183, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 63, good | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 243kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 196kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, poor | 4 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 297kJ | wind from the west, 17 knots | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, poor | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | wind from the west, 18 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, poor | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 296kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 237kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 66, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 83, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 221kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 9 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:53 +1.4 mLow 11:48 −0.8 mHigh 17:43 +1.1 mLow 23:59 −1.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:39 +1.3 mLow 12:37 −0.8 mHigh 18:38 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:50 −1.3 mHigh 07:27 +1.1 mLow 13:30 −0.8 mHigh 19:40 +0.9 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).
- 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
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 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
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Picnic Bay 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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Photos of Picnic Bay
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Picnic Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (262°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (82°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). No town nearby. Nearest place to stay we found: Southern Overnight Hikes, 3 km. Nearest beds: Foster, 41 km (about 1h 15m by car). Nearest airport: Melbourne Moorabbin Airport (MBW), 155 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 15°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$1,570–US$3,070 each
about US$1,570–US$3,070 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$2,000 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| 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$1,570–US$3,070 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 41 km away
No town nearby
Nearest place to stay we found: Southern Overnight Hikes, 3 km. Nearest beds: Foster, 41 km (about 1h 15m by car). Nearest airport: Melbourne Moorabbin Airport (MBW), 155 km.
See places to stay near Foster, 41 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 40m by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.