Old Bar
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 7 s
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- WSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 269kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 212, too small
- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 55, too small
- Fri 627, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 821, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1017, too small
- Wed 1124, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 11 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the west, 7 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 21, too small | 5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 269kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 19°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 03:00 +0.2 mLow 08:19 −0.4 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 21:56 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:13 +0.3 mLow 09:41 −0.4 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 22:56 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:15 +0.4 mLow 10:58 −0.4 mHigh 17:15 +0.6 mLow 23:47 −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.
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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Old Bar on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Old Bar
More surf near here
5 places
- 2nd corner 1.2 km away
- Wallabi point 4.3 km away
- Saltwater Point 6.4 km away
- Diamond beach 7.7 km away
- Black Head point 12.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Old Bar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (119°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (299°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 145). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Old Bar, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 mountain bike area.
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,870–US$3,560 each
about US$1,870–US$3,560 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 PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$906–US$1,890 |
| 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$1,870–US$3,560 |
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 · 11 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Old Bar its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Wallabi Point on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Diamond Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 12 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 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → PQQ 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.