Staying Home Sucks, home
(AUS-South Australia) Victoria Street, Robe 2025-12-12
Robe, the nearest town, 11 km away. Photo: S5A-0043, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hairy Maclareys

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

55Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 9 ft swell at 9 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 62 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
990kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 smushy
Energy
573kJ
Wind
WSW 25 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 44 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,374kJ
Wind
WSW 10 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 24 out of 100

Swell
12 ft10 smushy
Energy
2,430kJ
Wind
SW 15 kn
Temp
16°C

Sat 7 · 31 out of 100

Swell
11 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,940kJ
Wind
S 13 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 89 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,287kJ
Wind
E 9 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 62 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
449kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 362, good
  2. Wed 412, poor
  3. Thu 544, poor
  4. Fri 624, poor
  5. Sat 731, poor
  6. Sun 889, good
  7. Mon 962, good
  8. Tue 1021, poor
  9. Wed 1124, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Expertwho it suits
  • Works 3–20 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Apr, Jun3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Hairy Maclareys does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Hairy Maclareys, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov62, good8 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)990kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov12, poor6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.)573kJwind from the west-south-west, 25 knots15°C
Thu 5Nov44, poor10 ft9 smushy12 ft at break (est.)1,374kJwind from the west-south-west, 10 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov24, poor12 ft10 smushy15 ft at break (est.)2,430kJwind from the south-west, 15 knots16°C
Sat 7Nov31, poor11 ft9 smushy14 ft at break (est.)1,940kJwind from the south, 13 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov89, good9 ft9 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,287kJwind from the east, 9 knots, offshore17°C
Mon 9Nov62, good6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)449kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov21, poor7 ft12 smushy11 ft at break (est.)1,219kJwind from the west, 24 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov24, poor7 ft12 smushy11 ft at break (est.)1,396kJwind from the south-south-west, 25 knots14°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

  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:38 +0.2 mLow 20:53 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:14 +0.1 mLow 06:40 +0.1 mHigh 11:27 +0.1 mLow 19:22 −0.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 02:22 +0.1 mLow 06:43 +0.0 mHigh 11:40 +0.1 mLow 18:15 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hairy Maclareys

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

The spot faces SW (241°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (61°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For expert surfers the best months are usually April and June, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Robe.

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$1,950–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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MGB, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$980–US$2,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$148–US$242
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$356–US$597
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$597
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$235
Totalabout 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: 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

Robe

about 20 min by car · 65 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 65 places to stay in Robe · Booking.com

About Robe its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Robe, 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 33h 40m

About 33h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MGB, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), then 2h 05m by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.