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Cronulla Burraneer 2
Bay Waves. Photo: J Bar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bay Waves

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

30Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 6 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (21 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 36 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
37kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
31kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
122kJ
Wind
SSE 11 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 35 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
202kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
WNW 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 15 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
245kJ
Wind
S 17 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 39 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
169kJ
Wind
SSW 11 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, too small
  2. Tue 336, too small
  3. Wed 428, too small
  4. Thu 517, poor
  5. Fri 635, poor
  6. Sat 712, too small
  7. Sun 815, poor
  8. Mon 939, poor
  9. Tue 1016, too small
  10. Wed 1124, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Apr–Jun2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Bay Waves, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, too small3 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.)91kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov36, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the north, 8 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov28, too small3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the east, 7 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov17, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)122kJwind from the south-south-east, 11 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov35, poor5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)202kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov12, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Sun 8Nov15, poor5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)245kJwind from the south, 17 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov39, poor5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the south-south-west, 11 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov16, too small3 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the north, 8 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov24, poor4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.)152kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots20°C
Thu 12Nov33, poor4 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the south-south-west, 19 knots18°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 03:08 +0.3 mLow 08:35 −0.3 mHigh 15:04 +0.7 mLow 22:04 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:18 +0.3 mLow 09:57 −0.3 mHigh 16:12 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:19 +0.4 mLow 11:11 −0.4 mHigh 17:17 +0.6 mLow 23:54 −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 Bay Waves

2013-02-24 Shelly Beach, Cronulla, NSW - 03
Near Bay Waves. Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Gunnamata Bay. - panoramio
Near Bay Waves. Photo: sp_arrow, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bay Waves

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

The spot faces E (101°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (281°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, February and November, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sydney. Within 5 km we also list 15 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

Water about 20°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$1,780–US$3,400 each

about US$1,780–US$3,400 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 
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$926–US$1,920
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$34–US$54
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$1,780–US$3,400

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

Sydney

about 40 min by car · 446 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 446 places to stay in Sydney · Booking.com

About Sydney its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Sydney, 22 km (about 40 min by car)

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 27h 25m

About 27h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 35 min by road

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

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.