Sandy back reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- S 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 148, fair
- Mon 220, too small
- Tue 319, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 822, poor
- Mon 958, fair
- Tue 1047, fair
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 23 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, poor | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | wind from the south, 15 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 69, good | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 24°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 01:31 +0.2 mLow 06:59 −0.5 mHigh 13:51 +0.8 mLow 20:50 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:49 +0.2 mLow 08:15 −0.4 mHigh 14:59 +0.8 mLow 21:58 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:05 +0.3 mLow 09:38 −0.4 mHigh 16:08 +0.7 mLow 22:58 −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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 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
- 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
Sandy back reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: 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 Sandy back reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Back Sandy 0.2 km away
- Front Emerald 1.1 km away
- Sandy Beach 1.1 km away
- Shelly's 1.5 km away
- Hearns 3.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandy back reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (128°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (308°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Emerald Beach, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.
Water about 23°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$3,370 each
about US$1,760–US$3,370 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 CFS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| 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$3,370 |
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
3 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Emerald Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sandy Beach on Booking.com
3 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Woolgoolga on Booking.com
10 min by car · 24 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 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CFS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → CFS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.