Cairns
Windsurf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
56Fair out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Shore
- on
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 55 out of 100
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Shore
- on
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 44 out of 100
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Shore
- on
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 67 out of 100
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 31°C
Sat 7 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Shore
- side
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 30°C
Mon 9 · 67 out of 100
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Shore
- side
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 30°C
Tap a day for wind, gusts, shore and air. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 277, good
- Tue 377, good
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 551, fair
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 768, good
- Sun 80, poor
- Mon 983, good
- Tue 1067, good
- Wed 1167, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Nopen to the N
- Best wind: E or Walong the shore
- Avoid: Sblows out to sea
- Shelteredto the swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Oct4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know gusts, offshore wind, tides or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Shore | Water | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 77, good | wind from the north, 6 knots | 15kn | on | flat | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 77, good | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 14kn | on | flat | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 14kn | on | flat | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 51, fair | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 17kn | on | flat | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 17kn | side-on | flat | 31°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 68, good | wind from the east, 5 knots | 15kn | side | flat | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, poor | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 11kn | side-on | flat | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 83, good | wind from the east, 6 knots | 16kn | side | flat | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 67, good | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 17kn | side | flat | 30°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 67, good | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 20kn | side | chop | 30°C |
Wind is the day's best reading, mean and gusts, in knots; the arrow points where it blows to. Shore "off" blows out to sea. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:57 +0.1 mLow 09:30 −0.7 mHigh 16:28 +1.1 mLow 23:19 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:01 +0.3 mLow 10:38 −0.8 mHigh 17:15 +1.2 mLow 23:54 −0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:49 +0.6 mLow 11:34 −0.8 mHigh 17:55 +1.1 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 in Oct
Good windsurf days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast. Reanalysis wind misses some local thermal winds, so a spot known for an afternoon breeze may do better than this.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Cairns on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Cairns
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cairns
Known for kitesurfing and windsurfing, by the OpenStreetMap map of the area. The shore faces N, so wind from the S blows out to sea (our estimate from the coastline).
Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
A spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing, as OpenStreetMap maps it, on a shore facing N. Wind from the N blows onshore, wind from the S blows out to sea, and wind from the E or W runs along the shore. It is sheltered to the open sea. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 103). The sea is about 24°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For windsurfing at beginner level the best month is usually October, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cairns.
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$1,580–US$3,070 each
about US$1,580–US$3,070 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
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 CNS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,840 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Total | about US$1,580–US$3,070 |
Kit hire is not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Cairns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 189 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Cairns 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 31h 45m
About 31h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CNS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → CNS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.