Sledge Hammers
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 10 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 673kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 241kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 513kJ
- Wind
- WSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,221kJ
- Wind
- WNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,267kJ
- Wind
- SW 14 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 884kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Mon 9 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 327kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 344, poor
- Wed 420, too small
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 663, good
- Sat 724, poor
- Sun 862, good
- Mon 935, too small
- Tue 1044, too small
- Wed 1143, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 7 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 1,028kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 44, poor | 6 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 673kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 241kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 513kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 11 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 63, good | 8 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 1,221kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, poor | 8 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 1,267kJ | wind from the south-west, 14 knots | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 62, good | 8 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 884kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 35, too small | 5 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 327kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, too small | 6 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 705kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 43, poor | 6 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 789kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 15°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 05:08 +0.9 mLow 10:50 −0.4 mHigh 16:42 +0.5 mLow 22:47 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:53 +0.8 mLow 11:36 −0.4 mHigh 17:41 +0.4 mLow 23:38 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:44 +0.6 mLow 12:29 −0.4 mHigh 18:59 +0.4 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).
- Jan0of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 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
Sledge Hammers on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Smythes 1.8 km away
- Skenes Ck. 6.1 km away
- kennet river 9.1 km away
- Kennett point 9.1 km away
- Sawmills 9.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sledge Hammers
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (150°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (330°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Apollo Bay. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,920–US$3,660 each
about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$2,000 |
| 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$1,920–US$3,660 |
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
about 20 min by car · 74 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Apollo Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Wye River on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 12 places to stay
- Beds in Lorne on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 43 places to stay
Nearest beds: Apollo Bay, 11 km (about 20 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 30h 50m
About 30h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.