Richard's Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
56Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 8 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 612kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 592kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,053kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,494kJ
- Wind
- WSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 84 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,172kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 632kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 185kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 252, fair
- Tue 350, fair
- Wed 412, poor
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 634, poor
- Sat 784, good
- Sun 864, good
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1045, fair
- Wed 1164, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 52, fair | 6 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 895kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 50, fair | 6 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 612kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 592kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 8 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,053kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 34, poor | 9 ft10 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,494kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 84, good | 8 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,172kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 64, good | 6 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 632kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 491kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 64, good | 5 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 684kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 16 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:27 +0.4 mLow 21:24 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:52 +0.2 mLow 20:46 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:59 +0.1 mLow 07:51 +0.1 mHigh 12:39 +0.1 mLow 20:03 −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.
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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
Richard's Reef on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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
- West Cape 3.5 km away
- Ethels wreck 5.4 km away
- Pondie 6.3 km away
- Chinamans 7.2 km away
- G Bowls 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Richard's Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (286°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (106°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). 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. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| 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$1,950–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
22 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Marion Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Marion Bay, 12 km (about 25 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 31h 20m
About 31h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 3h by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.