Staying Home Sucks, home
2020-09-06 Scarborough Beach, NSW
Scaborough. Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Scaborough

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

35Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 24 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
44kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
20°C

Tue 3 · 37 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
28kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 29 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
25kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 43 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
65kJ
Wind
SSW 9 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 47 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
92kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
19kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 23 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
129kJ
Wind
SSW 11 kn
Temp
15°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 138, poor
  2. Mon 224, too small
  3. Tue 337, too small
  4. Wed 429, too small
  5. Thu 543, poor
  6. Fri 647, fair
  7. Sat 710, too small
  8. Sun 823, poor
  9. Mon 946, fair
  10. Tue 1044, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Apr–May3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Scaborough does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Scaborough, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov38, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots18°C
Mon 2Nov24, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots20°C
Tue 3Nov37, too small3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)28kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov29, too small2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)25kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov43, poor4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the south-south-west, 9 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov47, fair4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov10, too small1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore20°C
Sun 8Nov23, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the south-south-west, 11 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov46, fair4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)89kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots16°C
Tue 10Nov44, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)76kJwind from the north, 5 knots20°C
Wed 11Nov78, good4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)137kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore19°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 01:55 +0.3 mLow 07:16 −0.3 mHigh 13:53 +0.7 mLow 20:55 −0.6 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:09 +0.3 mLow 08:33 −0.3 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 22:00 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:18 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:10 +0.6 mLow 22:59 −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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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 Scaborough

2020-09-06 Scarborough Beach, New South Wales 6
Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
2020-03-22 Scarborough Beach, Wombarra NSW
Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Scaborough

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 800 m out (1 in 78). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 and May, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Stanwell Park, 5.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots.

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$1,820–US$3,480 each

about US$1,820–US$3,480 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$925–US$1,920
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$80–US$134
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout US$1,820–US$3,480

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

Closest

Stanwell Park

10 min by car · 10 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 10 places to stay in Stanwell Park · Booking.com

About Stanwell Park its beds, food and every spot near it

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 50m

About 27h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.