Thunder Reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 470kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 355kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 501kJ
- Wind
- WSW 13 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 947kJ
- Wind
- SW 15 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 723kJ
- Wind
- SSW 19 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 679kJ
- Wind
- SSW 13 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 113, too small
- Mon 239, too small
- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 48, too small
- Thu 521, poor
- Fri 621, poor
- Sat 724, poor
- Sun 833, poor
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Jan, Nov1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 13, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 12 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 39, too small | 5 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 355kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | wind from the north-west, 12 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 501kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 13 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, poor | 7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 947kJ | wind from the south-west, 15 knots | 13°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, poor | 6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 723kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 19 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, poor | 6 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 679kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 21 knots, offshore | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:32 +0.5 mLow 12:33 −0.1 mHigh 16:24 +0.0 mLow 22:30 −0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:24 +0.4 mLow 13:55 −0.1 mHigh 17:28 +0.0 mLow 23:21 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:27 +0.3 mLow 15:24 −0.1 mHigh 19:28 −0.0 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 Jan, Nov
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
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 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 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 and its town
Thunder Reef 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
- Ann bay 2.6 km away
- green point 5.7 km away
- Marrawah 5.8 km away
- Greens 6.5 km away
- Lighthouse Beach 11 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Thunder Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (288°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (108°). 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 1000 m out (1 in 99). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and November, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Marrawah, 6.5 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 14°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$1,930–US$3,670 each
about US$1,930–US$3,670 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 BWT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$965–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$1,930–US$3,670 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
11 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Marrawah its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Arthur River on Booking.com
37 min by car · 11 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 33h 20m
About 33h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BWT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), then 1h 50m by road
Flights MDW → BWT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.