Staying Home Sucks, home
Shelly Beach Ballina from Lookout
Ballina, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Nerdge at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Sharps Beach

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor 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

Tue 3 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
53kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 17 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
20kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
24°C

Thu 5 · 20 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
33kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 44 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
89kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
81kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 ssoft
Energy
34kJ
Wind
S 26 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
60kJ
Wind
S 15 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 228, too small
  2. Tue 322, too small
  3. Wed 417, too small
  4. Thu 520, too small
  5. Fri 644, poor
  6. Sat 724, poor
  7. Sun 88, too small
  8. Mon 915, too small
  9. Tue 1039, poor
  10. Wed 1150, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best May, Aug–Sep3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sharps Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov28, too small2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)108kJwind from the south, 12 knots23°C
Tue 3Nov22, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore24°C
Wed 4Nov17, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the west, 8 knots, offshore24°C
Thu 5Nov20, too small2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the west, 7 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov44, poor4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)89kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots22°C
Sat 7Nov24, poor3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the west, 4 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov8, too small2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the south, 26 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov15, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the south, 15 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov39, poor4 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.)263kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov50, fair5 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)329kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots21°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 02:42 +0.2 mLow 08:12 −0.4 mHigh 15:02 +0.8 mLow 22:04 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:01 +0.2 mLow 09:37 −0.4 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:07 +0.4 mLow 10:54 −0.4 mHigh 17:13 +0.7 mLow 23:50 −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 and its town

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sharps Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (89°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (269°). 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 700 m out (1 in 71). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, August and September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and February, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ballina, 5.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,860–US$3,520 each

about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$891–US$1,850
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
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$1,860–US$3,520

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

Lennox Head

about 10 min by car · 16 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 16 places to stay in Lennox Head · Booking.com

About Lennox Head 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 29h 30m

About 29h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 15m by road

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