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YCW
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 7 ft swell at 9 s, onshore wind, 15 kn (28 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 361kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 423kJ
- Wind
- WSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 701kJ
- Wind
- NW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 940kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 492kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 214kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 229, too small
- Tue 327, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 719, poor
- Sun 837, poor
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1022, too small
- Wed 1128, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 29, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 455kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, too small | 5 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 361kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 6 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 423kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 7 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 701kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, poor | 7 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 940kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, poor | 6 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 492kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 22, too small | 4 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 303kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 415kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:40 +1.3 mLow 11:24 −0.7 mHigh 17:29 +0.9 mLow 23:33 −1.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:26 +1.1 mLow 12:12 −0.7 mHigh 18:26 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:24 −1.1 mHigh 07:16 +1.0 mLow 13:05 −0.7 mHigh 19:32 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 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
- May1of 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 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 and its town
YCW 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.
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Smiths Beach 0.3 km away
- Papas 0.4 km away
- dungeons. 0.9 km away
- Express Point 1.2 km away
- Surfies Point 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About YCW
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (173°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (353°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 51). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Cowes, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 3 wind sports spots.
Water about 15°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$1,920–US$3,660 each
about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–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$1,920–US$3,660 |
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 · 21 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Smiths Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cowes on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 70 places to stay
- Beds in Ventnor on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 9 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 29h 50m
About 29h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.