Point Cartwright, the rock
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 112, too small
- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 321, poor
- Wed 418, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Jul2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 22°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 00:17 +0.2 mLow 05:59 −0.6 mHigh 13:00 +0.8 mLow 19:57 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:40 +0.2 mLow 07:18 −0.5 mHigh 14:09 +0.8 mLow 21:03 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:59 +0.3 mLow 08:41 −0.5 mHigh 15:15 +0.7 mLow 21:59 −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
best May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Point Cartwright, the rock 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 Point Cartwright, the rock
More surf near here
5 places
- The Platform 0.5 km away
- Platforms 0.7 km away
- The Spit 0.7 km away
- Secrets 0.9 km away
- Pocket 1.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Point Cartwright, the rock
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (60°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (240°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 154). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sunshine Coast, 5.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 15 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,850 |
| 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$1,860–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
4 min by car · 77 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Mooloolaba its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Maroochydore on Booking.com
9 min by car · 66 places to stay
- Beds in Sunshine Coast on Booking.com
9 min by car · 64 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 27h 55m
About 27h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 45m by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.