Staying Home Sucks, home
Noosa National Park Beach - panoramio
Near A-Bay. Photo: svenimartini, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A-Bay

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

18Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
15kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Tue 3 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft3 smushy
Energy
8kJ
Wind
W 9 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 shollow
Energy
15kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
31°C

Thu 5 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
15kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
30°C

Fri 6 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 shollow
Energy
17kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 shollow
Energy
18kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
21kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 223, too small
  2. Tue 319, too small
  3. Wed 418, too small
  4. Thu 513, too small
  5. Fri 611, too small
  6. Sat 719, too small
  7. Sun 87, too small
  8. Mon 925, poor
  9. Tue 1012, too small
  10. Wed 1112, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Aug3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at A-Bay, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov23, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov19, too small2 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the west, 9 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov18, too small2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north, 2 knots31°C
Thu 5Nov13, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots30°C
Fri 6Nov11, too small2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the south, 10 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov19, too small2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots26°C
Sun 8Nov7, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the south, 10 knots24°C
Mon 9Nov25, poor3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)48kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov12, too small2 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots23°C
Wed 11Nov12, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the north, 2 knots25°C
Thu 12Nov12, too small1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots22°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 01:39 +0.2 mLow 07:16 −0.5 mHigh 14:08 +0.8 mLow 21:01 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:58 +0.3 mLow 08:39 −0.5 mHigh 15:13 +0.7 mLow 21:58 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 04:04 +0.4 mLow 09:54 −0.5 mHigh 16:12 +0.7 mLow 22:45 −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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

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 A-Bay

Waves at Hell gate Noosa National park
Near A-Bay. Photo: Anneyla attirum darra, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Alexandria Bay and Hell's Gates at the windy winter day
Near A-Bay. Photo: Tatters ✾ from Brisbane, Australia, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Noosa Headland beach. Queensland, Australia - panoramio
Near A-Bay, 1 km away. Photo: zpunout, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About A-Bay

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

The spot faces E (91°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (271°). It is exposed 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 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sunshine Beach, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 24°C: no 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$1,860–US$3,520 each

about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$892–US$1,850
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$148–US$242
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$356–US$597
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$597
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$235
Totalabout US$1,860–US$3,520

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Sunshine Beach

about 5 min by car · 20 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 20 places to stay in Sunshine Beach · Booking.com

About Sunshine Beach 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 28h 25m

About 28h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 10m by road

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

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