Staying Home Sucks, home
Arthur River mouth
Arthur River, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Tirin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bluff Reef

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

28Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 42 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
803kJ
Wind
SSW 12 kn
Temp
13°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 smushy
Energy
294kJ
Wind
NW 8 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 22 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
888kJ
Wind
WSW 13 kn
Temp
13°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
11 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,777kJ
Wind
WNW 23 kn
Temp
13°C

Sat 7 · 5 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,580kJ
Wind
SSW 19 kn
Temp
11°C

Sun 8 · 42 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,414kJ
Wind
SSW 10 kn
Temp
12°C

Mon 9 · 29 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
547kJ
Wind
NNE 16 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 260, good
  2. Tue 342, poor
  3. Wed 418, too small
  4. Thu 522, poor
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 75, poor
  7. Sun 842, poor
  8. Mon 929, poor
  9. Tue 1045, fair
  10. Wed 1131, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Bluff Reef, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov60, good9 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,387kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots13°C
Tue 3Nov42, poor7 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)803kJwind from the south-south-west, 12 knots13°C
Wed 4Nov18, too small5 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)294kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov22, poor8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)888kJwind from the west-south-west, 13 knots13°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big11 ft9 smushy12 ft at break (est.)1,777kJwind from the west-north-west, 23 knots13°C
Sat 7Nov5, poor10 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.)1,580kJwind from the south-south-west, 19 knots11°C
Sun 8Nov42, poor10 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)1,414kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots12°C
Mon 9Nov29, poor6 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)547kJwind from the north-north-east, 16 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov45, fair6 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)540kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots13°C
Wed 11Nov31, poor6 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)1,005kJwind from the south, 24 knots13°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 06:10 +0.4 mLow 22:26 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 07:12 +0.3 mLow 23:10 −0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 08:36 +0.2 mLow 17:13 −0.1 mHigh 22:36 +0.0 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 and its town

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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bluff Reef

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

The spot faces W (290°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (110°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 92). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Arthur River, 6.8 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 14°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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BWT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$965–US$2,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout 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: 2 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

Arthur River

about 15 min by car · 11 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 11 places to stay in Arthur River · Booking.com

About Arthur River 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 33h 25m

About 33h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BWT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), then 1h 50m by road

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

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