Back Beach ( Crescent Head )
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 424, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 655, fair
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 841, poor
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 1052, fair
- Wed 1153, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in May3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 21°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 02:48 +0.2 mLow 08:14 −0.4 mHigh 14:57 +0.8 mLow 21:51 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:01 +0.3 mLow 09:34 −0.4 mHigh 16:05 +0.7 mLow 22:51 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:07 +0.4 mLow 10:51 −0.4 mHigh 17:10 +0.6 mLow 23:43 −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.
Best time to go
best in May
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 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 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
Back Beach ( Crescent Head ) on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Cresent Head 0.5 km away
- Crescent Head 2.1 km away
- Delicate Nobby 7.6 km away
- Back Plommer 8.4 km away
- Point Plomer 15.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Back Beach ( Crescent Head )
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (79°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (259°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 135). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Crescent Head, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 22°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$1,790–US$3,430 each
about US$1,790–US$3,430 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$906–US$1,890 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| Total | about US$1,790–US$3,430 |
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
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about 5 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Crescent Head its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Port Macquarie on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 52 places to stay
- Beds in South West Rocks on Booking.com
about 1h by car · 22 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 55m
About 30h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → PQQ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.