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Snapper Rocks
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 126, too small
- Mon 219, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 419, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 628, poor
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 815, too small
- Mon 943, poor
- Tue 1018, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr–May2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Snapper Rocks 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 | 26, too small | 2 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 111kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the north-west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the south, 7 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | offshorewind from the south, 7 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 43, poor | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the south, 11 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the south-south-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 00:15 +0.1 mLow 05:49 −0.5 mHigh 12:50 +0.8 mLow 19:59 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:38 +0.1 mLow 07:08 −0.5 mHigh 14:00 +0.8 mLow 21:05 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:58 +0.2 mLow 08:34 −0.4 mHigh 15:09 +0.7 mLow 22:02 −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 Apr–May
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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Snapper Rocks 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.
Photos of Snapper Rocks
More surf near here
5 places
- Froggys 0.1 km away
- Rainbow bay 0.1 km away
- Lovers Right 0.2 km away
- Point Danger 0.3 km away
- Superbank Lefts 0.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Snapper Rocks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (39°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (219°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and May, with about 2 good days in 7; in October, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tweed Heads, 2.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 19 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,850 |
| 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$1,860–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
4 min by car · 68 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Coolangatta its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tweed Heads on Booking.com
4 min by car · 56 places to stay
- Beds in Fingal on Booking.com
8 min by car · 3 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 28h 10m
About 28h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.