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Chicken Run
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 106, too small
- Wed 1117, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–19 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best May–Jun, Aug1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Chicken Run 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 | 5, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the west, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south, 11 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:40 +0.3 mLow 08:57 −0.1 mHigh 14:48 +0.5 mLow 21:55 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:33 +0.3 mLow 10:07 −0.2 mHigh 15:56 +0.4 mLow 22:49 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:21 +0.3 mLow 11:15 −0.2 mHigh 17:03 +0.4 mLow 23:40 −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 May–Jun, Aug
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
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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 and its town
Chicken Run 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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More surf near here
3 places
- Piermont Point 12.9 km away
- Coswell 14 km away
- Swansea Point 15.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Chicken Run
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (116°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (296°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 189). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and August, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rocky Hills, 3.6 km away (about 10 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$3,660 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 HBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, 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 10 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Rocky Hills its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Swansea on Booking.com
about 30 min 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 32h 50m
About 32h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → HBA, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → HBA 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.