Is it worth the trip?
29Poor 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 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 131, too small
- Mon 220, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 428, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 1043, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Scotts Head 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 | 31, too small | 3 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 67, good | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 18°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 01:33 +0.3 mLow 07:03 −0.5 mHigh 13:51 +0.8 mLow 20:47 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:48 +0.3 mLow 08:16 −0.4 mHigh 14:58 +0.8 mLow 21:53 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:02 +0.3 mLow 09:35 −0.4 mHigh 16:06 +0.7 mLow 22:52 −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 in Aug
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
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 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 and its town
Scotts Head 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
- Suck Rock 1.3 km away
- Grassy Head 5.1 km away
- Black rock 11.9 km away
- Nambucca Heads - Breakwater 12.8 km away
- Horseshoe bay 14.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Scotts Head
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (83°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (263°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 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 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Scotts Head, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 22°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$1,870–US$3,540 each
about US$1,870–US$3,540 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 CFS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,870 |
| 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$1,870–US$3,540 |
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
2 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Scotts Head its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Grassy Head on Booking.com
7 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Nambucca Heads on Booking.com
21 min by car · 18 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 31h 05m
About 31h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CFS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → CFS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.