Staying Home Sucks, home
Zenith Beach, Australia (Unsplash)
Zenith Beach. Photo: Max McKinnon maxmckinnon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Zenith Beach

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

19Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 6 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
42kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 10 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
29kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
24kJ
Wind
WSW 15 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 14 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
141kJ
Wind
SSE 14 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 42 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
234kJ
Wind
WNW 6 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
52kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
173kJ
Wind
S 19 kn
Temp
17°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 128, too small
  2. Mon 212, too small
  3. Tue 310, too small
  4. Wed 415, too small
  5. Thu 514, poor
  6. Fri 642, poor
  7. Sat 715, too small
  8. Sun 812, poor
  9. Mon 917, poor
  10. Tue 1033, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–14 ftof swell
  • Water 21 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Zenith Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Zenith Beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov28, too small3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)116kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore23°C
Mon 2Nov12, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the east, 7 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov10, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov15, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the west-south-west, 15 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 5Nov14, poor5 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)141kJwind from the south-south-east, 14 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov42, poor6 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)234kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore20°C
Sat 7Nov15, too small2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore22°C
Sun 8Nov12, poor4 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)173kJwind from the south, 19 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov17, poor5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)231kJwind from the south-east, 8 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov33, poor4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)121kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov71, good5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)260kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot21°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 01:49 +0.2 mLow 07:07 −0.4 mHigh 13:52 +0.8 mLow 20:54 −0.6 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:07 +0.3 mLow 08:26 −0.3 mHigh 15:03 +0.7 mLow 22:02 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:19 +0.3 mLow 09:49 −0.3 mHigh 16:13 +0.7 mLow 23:01 −0.6 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 beginners: 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 Zenith Beach

Zenith Beach, Shoal Bay, Australia (Unsplash)
Photo: Kate Ausburn kateausburn, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Zenith Beach - panoramio
Photo: Maurice van Creij, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Zenith Beach
Photo: popejon2 from Paddington, Australia, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Zenith Beach

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

The spot faces E (102°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (282°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.0 km out (1 in 200). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Hawks Nest, 5.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 3 dive sites.

Water about 21°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$1,890–US$3,580 each

about US$1,890–US$3,580 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 MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$925–US$1,920
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$1,890–US$3,580

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

Closest

Fingal Bay

6 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Fingal Bay · Booking.com

About Fingal Bay 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 30h 10m

About 30h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 15m by road

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