Carparks
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (2 ft swell at 6 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 214, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 433, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 1018, too small
- Wed 1143, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Carparks 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 | 14, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 43, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:33 +0.3 mLow 08:48 −0.1 mHigh 14:49 +0.5 mLow 21:56 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:29 +0.3 mLow 10:02 −0.2 mHigh 15:57 +0.5 mLow 22:51 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:20 +0.3 mLow 11:11 −0.3 mHigh 17:04 +0.4 mLow 23:42 −0.5 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–Jul
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 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, its town, photos
Carparks 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 Carparks
More surf near here
2 places
- Governors Island 1.8 km away
- Friendly Beaches 17.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Carparks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (53°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (233°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bicheno, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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$3,660 each
about US$1,930–US$3,660 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 LST, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and SYD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$959–US$1,990 |
| 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$3,660 |
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
about 5 min by car · 36 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Bicheno its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Swansea on Booking.com
about 1h by car · 20 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 33h 20m
About 33h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LST, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → LST on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.