Waitups
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 224kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 193kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- SW 19 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 293kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- WNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 472kJ
- Wind
- S 12 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 409kJ
- Wind
- ENE 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 171, good
- Mon 251, fair
- Tue 376, good
- Wed 414, poor
- Thu 550, fair
- Fri 631, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 833, poor
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1010, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best May, Jul–Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 71, good | 4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 224kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 76, good | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 14, poor | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the south-west, 19 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft7 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 293kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, poor | 5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 472kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, poor | 6 ft9 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 17°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 05:31 +0.5 mLow 21:09 −0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:13 +0.4 mLow 11:32 +0.2 mHigh 11:59 +0.2 mLow 21:29 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:14 +0.3 mLow 11:21 +0.2 mHigh 12:55 +0.2 mLow 21:25 −0.2 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–Aug
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
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Waitups 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Damo's Bay 2.5 km away
- sheep creek 4.2 km away
- Parsons 5.9 km away
- S-Club 15.3 km away
- The Pines 21.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Waitups
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (171°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (351°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Encounter Bay. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$1,950–US$3,700 each
about US$1,950–US$3,700 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| 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$1,950–US$3,700 |
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
32 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Encounter Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Second Valley on Booking.com
37 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Victor Harbor on Booking.com
38 min by car · 34 places to stay
Nearest beds: Encounter Bay, 18 km (about 35 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
About 30h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.