The Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 220, too small
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 424, too small
- Thu 520, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
- Wed 1122, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Jul2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 24°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 01:39 +0.2 mLow 07:17 −0.5 mHigh 14:09 +0.8 mLow 21:04 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:58 +0.3 mLow 08:40 −0.5 mHigh 15:15 +0.7 mLow 22:00 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:05 +0.4 mLow 09:54 −0.5 mHigh 16:13 +0.7 mLow 22:47 −0.7 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 May–Jul
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
The Reef on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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 The Reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Cove 0.5 km away
- Neill ST - Dicky Beach 0.5 km away
- Moffats 0.7 km away
- Dicky's shorey 0.8 km away
- Anne street reef 0.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (77°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (257°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 93). 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 January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in February, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Caloundra, 2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 1 mountain bike area.
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
about 5 min by car · 30 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Dicky Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Shelly Beach Queensland on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 69 places to stay
- Beds in Caloundra on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 86 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 27h 40m
About 27h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.