Zorbas Reef
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
26Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: too small (2 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- NE 15 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- E 14 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 137, poor
- Mon 226, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 523, too small
- Fri 625, too small
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Zorbas Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 225kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the north-east, 15 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 15 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the east, 14 knots | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 17 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 14°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 NovLow 03:06 −2.1 mHigh 09:21 +2.4 mLow 15:50 −2.1 mHigh 21:58 +1.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:21 −1.8 mHigh 10:32 +2.0 mLow 17:14 −1.9 mHigh 23:17 +1.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:48 −1.7 mHigh 11:54 +1.9 mLow 18:40 −1.9 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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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, its town, photos
Zorbas Reef on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Zorbas Reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Crantock 0.9 km away
- Fistral 1.1 km away
- The Cribber 1.7 km away
- Towan 2.4 km away
- Great Western 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Zorbas Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (322°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (142°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Newquay, 2.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 13°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$1,190–US$2,210 each
about US$1,190–US$2,210 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 ORD to NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$898 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,190–US$2,210 |
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
3 min by car · 89 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Crantock its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Newquay on Booking.com
4 min by car · 220 places to stay
- Beds in Porth on Booking.com
8 min by car · 108 places to stay
About US$107 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 16h
About 16h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → NQY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.