
Pumphouse
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- SW 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- WSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 226kJ
- Wind
- SSW 20 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 128, poor
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 334, poor
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 534, too small
- Fri 640, poor
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 815, poor
- Mon 921, poor
- Tue 1059, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jun, Sep2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Pumphouse does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, poor | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 13 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 40, poor | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, poor | 5 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 226kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 20 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, poor | 5 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 203kJ | wind from the south, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 61, good | 4 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 228kJ | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:50 +0.3 mLow 07:17 −0.4 mHigh 13:55 +0.8 mLow 20:57 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:06 +0.3 mLow 08:35 −0.3 mHigh 15:04 +0.7 mLow 22:03 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:17 +0.3 mLow 09:57 −0.3 mHigh 16:14 +0.7 mLow 23:03 −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
best Apr–Jun, Sep
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
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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
Pumphouse 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.
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 Pumphouse


Live webcam
press to load it
Live webcam
Maroubra Beach
Near Pumphouse, 3 km away
Webcams belong to their owners.
More surf near here
5 places
- Maroubra Beach 0.5 km away
- Maroubra North End Point 0.8 km away
- Malabar 1.3 km away
- honeycombe 1.7 km away
- Surf club reef 3.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pumphouse
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (85°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (265°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and September, with about 2 good days in 7; in January and February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sydney. Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 1 dive site.
Water about 20°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$1,760–US$3,380 each
about US$1,760–US$3,380 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,760–US$3,380 |
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
18 min by car · 446 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Sydney its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Manly on Booking.com
31 min by car · 50 places to stay
- Beds in Liverpool New South Wales on Booking.com
54 min by car · 15 places to stay
Nearest beds: Sydney, 10 km (about 20 min by car)
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 20m
About 27h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → SYD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.