Staying Home Sucks, home
Marion Bay Jetty, Northwest view 20230209 2
Marion Bay, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Pondie

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 7 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 44 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
480kJ
Wind
WNW 5 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 9 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 smushy
Energy
449kJ
Wind
SW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 68 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
863kJ
Wind
W 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 47 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,150kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 33 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 smushy
Energy
838kJ
Wind
SE 11 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 15 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
380kJ
Wind
E 11 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
112kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
23°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 237, too small
  2. Tue 344, too small
  3. Wed 49, too small
  4. Thu 568, good
  5. Fri 647, fair
  6. Sat 733, poor
  7. Sun 815, too small
  8. Mon 915, too small
  9. Tue 1024, too small
  10. Wed 1111, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Pondie, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov37, too small6 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)699kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov44, too small5 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)480kJwind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 4Nov9, too small6 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)449kJwind from the south-west, 15 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov68, good7 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)863kJwind from the west, 5 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov47, fair8 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)1,150kJwind from the west, 10 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov33, poor7 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.)838kJwind from the south-east, 11 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov15, too small5 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.)380kJwind from the east, 11 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov15, too small3 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)112kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots23°C
Tue 10Nov24, too small4 ft11 smushy3 ft at break (est.)403kJwind from the south, 7 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov11, too small4 ft11 smushy3 ft at break (est.)455kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots23°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 06:52 +0.4 mLow 21:51 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 07:16 +0.3 mLow 21:03 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:10 +0.1 mLow 08:23 +0.1 mHigh 13:04 +0.1 mLow 20:22 −0.2 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 experts: 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 Pondie

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

The spot faces SE (149°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (329°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 51). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Marion Bay, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 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$1,950–US$3,700 each

about US$1,950–US$3,700 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$985–US$2,040
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$1,950–US$3,700

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Marion Bay

Closest

Marion Bay

about 20 min by car · 14 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 14 places to stay in Marion Bay · Booking.com

About Marion Bay 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 31h 10m

About 31h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 50m by road

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