Potholes
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
32Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- SW 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 121kJ
- Wind
- SSE 18 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 136kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 156kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 224, too small
- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 437, poor
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 634, poor
- Sat 78, poor
- Sun 814, poor
- Mon 924, poor
- Tue 1038, poor
- Wed 1165, 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 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Potholes does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 34, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, poor | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 136kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 156kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 251kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 65, good | 4 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 19°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 03:11 +0.3 mLow 08:37 −0.3 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 22:00 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:21 +0.3 mLow 09:58 −0.3 mHigh 16:11 +0.6 mLow 23:00 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:22 +0.4 mLow 11:13 −0.4 mHigh 17:18 +0.6 mLow 23:52 −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.
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
- Feb0of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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 and its town
Potholes on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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
- Dolphins point 0.2 km away
- Wairo point 1.4 km away
- North Tabourie 2.3 km away
- Racecourse Reef 2.7 km away
- The Hook 4.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Potholes
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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 23°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Ulladulla, 5.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.
Water about 19°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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$925–US$1,920 |
| 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$1,890–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
about 5 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Burrill Lake its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lake Tabourie on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Ulladulla on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 30 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 30h 10m
About 30h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 15m by road
Flights MDW → SYD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.