Big Left
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 426kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 154kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 307kJ
- Wind
- SW 12 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 933kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 926kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 556kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 213kJ
- Wind
- E 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 338, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 650, fair
- Sat 726, poor
- Sun 842, poor
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
- Wed 1128, too small
- Thu 129, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Apr3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 426kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 307kJ | wind from the south-west, 12 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 50, fair | 8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 933kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 26, poor | 8 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 926kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 556kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 249kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft12 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 473kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 9, too small | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 352kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 16 knots | 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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:21 +1.1 mLow 12:07 −0.7 mHigh 18:21 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:18 −1.1 mHigh 07:12 +1.0 mLow 13:00 −0.7 mHigh 19:28 +0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 01:15 −0.8 mHigh 08:08 +0.8 mLow 14:00 −0.7 mHigh 20:46 +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.
Best time to go
best in Apr
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
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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 and its town
Big Left on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Cyrils 0.6 km away
- Cyprus 0.8 km away
- Sunset 0.8 km away
- Gunnery 1.3 km away
- The Gunnery 1.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Big Left
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (185°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (5°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 141). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Flinders, 1.5 km away (6 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 15°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$1,930–US$3,670 each
about US$1,930–US$3,670 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$959–US$2,000 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| 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$1,930–US$3,670 |
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
6 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Flinders its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cape Schanck on Booking.com
16 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in St Andrews Beach on Booking.com
25 min by car · 5 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 29h 40m
About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → MEL 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.