Goolwa
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
46Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 280kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- WSW 16 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 279kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 407kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 513kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 381kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 550, fair
- Fri 637, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 842, poor
- Mon 958, fair
- Tue 1016, poor
- Wed 1122, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 363kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 280kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 279kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, poor | 5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 407kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 513kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, poor | 5 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 381kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 16, poor | 3 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the south, 17 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 22, poor | 3 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 242kJ | wind from the south-east, 15 knots | 15°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 06:00 +0.4 mLow 10:38 +0.2 mHigh 12:51 +0.2 mLow 21:31 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:13 +0.2 mLow 11:00 +0.2 mHigh 13:20 +0.2 mLow 21:37 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:32 +0.1 mLow 05:50 +0.1 mHigh 09:10 +0.2 mLow 11:44 +0.1 mHigh 13:37 +0.1 mLow 18:58 −0.1 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 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
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Goolwa on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Middleton [Beach] 5.4 km away
- Middleton Point 5.4 km away
- Elephants 6.1 km away
- Bashams bommie 6.5 km away
- Frenchies 6.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Goolwa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (181°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (1°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 100). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Goolwa, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,950–US$3,700 each
about US$1,950–US$3,700 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,950–US$3,700 |
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 5 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Goolwa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Middleton on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 17 places to stay
- Beds in Victor Harbor on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 34 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 29h 50m
About 29h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 1h 30m by road
Flights MDW → ADL 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.