Richard's Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: too small (3 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 490kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 352kJ
- Wind
- SW 18 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,053kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,494kJ
- Wind
- WSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,172kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 515kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 44 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 20, too big
- Tue 318, poor
- Wed 414, poor
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 822, poor
- Mon 944, too small
- Tue 1064, good
- Wed 1171, 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.
Richard's Reef 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 | 0, too big | 6 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 895kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, poor | 6 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 490kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 14, poor | 4 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 352kJ | wind from the south-west, 18 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,053kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft10 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,494kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,172kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, poor | 6 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 515kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 5 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 491kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 71, 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 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
- 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
about 25 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.