Staying Home Sucks, home
Shore to the north seen from Fingal Head, New South Wales 02
Near Needle dicks. Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Needle dicks

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

26Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
11kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Fri 6 · 29 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
51kJ
Wind
SSE 10 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
33kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
19kJ
Wind
SSW 16 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 54 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
114kJ
Wind
S 6 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 215, too small
  2. Tue 39, too small
  3. Wed 419, too small
  4. Thu 518, too small
  5. Fri 629, poor
  6. Sat 715, too small
  7. Sun 89, too small
  8. Mon 954, fair
  9. Tue 1025, poor
  10. Wed 1110, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Apr–May2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Needle dicks does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Needle dicks, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov15, too small1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots24°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore24°C
Wed 4Nov19, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov18, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots29°C
Fri 6Nov29, poor3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots22°C
Sat 7Nov15, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov9, too small1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the south-south-west, 16 knots, offshore21°C
Mon 9Nov54, fair4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)114kJwind from the south, 6 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 10Nov25, poor3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots22°C
Wed 11Nov10, too small3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)83kJwind from the north-north-west, 13 knots23°C
Thu 12Nov9, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the north-north-west, 14 knots23°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 02:37 +0.1 mLow 08:09 −0.4 mHigh 15:00 +0.8 mLow 22:04 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:58 +0.2 mLow 09:34 −0.4 mHigh 16:08 +0.7 mLow 23:01 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:05 +0.3 mLow 10:52 −0.5 mHigh 17:10 +0.7 mLow 23:49 −0.7 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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Needle dicks

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

The spot faces NE (47°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (227°). It is sheltered 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 750 m out (1 in 75). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and May, with about 2 good days in 7; in October, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tweed Heads, 3.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 19 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 24°C: no 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$1,860–US$3,520 each

about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$892–US$1,850
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$1,860–US$3,520

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

Closest

Fingal

about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Fingal · Booking.com

About Fingal its beds, food and every spot near it

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 10m

About 28h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h by road

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

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