Box Head - Umina
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 114kJ
- Wind
- SW 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 826, poor
- Mon 937, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
- Wed 1141, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jun, Sep3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Box Head - Umina does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the north, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 17°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 03:05 +0.3 mLow 08:31 −0.3 mHigh 15:03 +0.7 mLow 22:03 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:16 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:12 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:18 +0.4 mLow 11:10 −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.
Best time to go
best Apr–Jun, Sep
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Box Head - Umina on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Box Head - Umina
More surf near here
5 places
- Killcare 2.7 km away
- Killcare Triangle 2.7 km away
- Putty beach point 2.7 km away
- Killcare Bombie 3 km away
- Ocean Beach,NSW,australia 3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Box Head - Umina
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (157°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (337°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 40). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Brooklyn. Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 21°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$1,890–US$3,590 each
about US$1,890–US$3,590 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$926–US$1,920 |
| 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$1,890–US$3,590 |
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
about 20 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Brooklyn its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Terrigal on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Mona Vale on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 3 places to stay
Nearest beds: Brooklyn, 11 km (about 20 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 28h
About 28h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → SYD 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.