Staying Home Sucks, home
Golden Hour at the Basin - Rottnest Island
The basin. Photo: Matthew.crompton, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The basin

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

49Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 7 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 58 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 s
Energy
526kJ
Wind
SSW 16 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 61 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 s
Energy
941kJ
Wind
S 20 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 s
Energy
867kJ
Wind
S 14 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 s
Energy
530kJ
Wind
SSE 13 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 30 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 s
Energy
244kJ
Wind
SSE 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
69kJ
Wind
SSW 17 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 33 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 s
Energy
448kJ
Wind
S 27 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 221, too small
  2. Tue 358, fair
  3. Wed 461, good
  4. Thu 557, fair
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 730, too small
  7. Sun 814, too small
  8. Mon 933, too small
  9. Tue 1047, fair
  10. Wed 1117, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Ntakes swell from the N
  • Offshore: Swind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–16 ftof swell
  • Water 20 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at The basin, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov21, too small6 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)520kJwind from the west, 12 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov58, fair6 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)526kJwind from the south-south-west, 16 knots, offshore18°C
Wed 4Nov61, good7 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)941kJwind from the south, 20 knots, offshore18°C
Thu 5Nov57, fair6 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)867kJwind from the south, 14 knots, offshore19°C
Fri 6Nov45, fair5 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)530kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots, offshore20°C
Sat 7Nov30, too small4 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore19°C
Sun 8Nov14, too small2 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the south-south-west, 17 knots, offshore19°C
Mon 9Nov33, too small5 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)448kJwind from the south, 27 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 10Nov47, fair5 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)504kJwind from the south, 15 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 11Nov17, too small4 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)247kJwind from the east-south-east, 13 knots16°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 01:31 +0.2 mLow 12:23 −0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:07 +0.2 mLow 12:56 −0.2 mHigh 22:06 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:41 +0.1 mHigh 05:12 +0.1 mLow 13:13 −0.1 mHigh 20:01 +0.1 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 experts: 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 The basin

Longreach Bay, Rottnest, June 2020
Photo: Sam Wilson (taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 ), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pinky Beach 2
Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Longreach Bay from dunes
Photo: Sam Wilson (taken with LG G6 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About The basin

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

The spot faces N (346°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (166°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 22°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Rottnest Island, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 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$2,040–US$3,900 each

about US$2,040–US$3,900 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 ORD to PER, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$1,070–US$2,230
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$2,040–US$3,900

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Rottnest Island

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Rottnest Island

about 5 min by car

about US$134/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Rottnest Island · Booking.com

About Rottnest Island 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 33h

About 33h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PER, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 1h 05m by road

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