Staying Home Sucks, home
Mumbannar (AU), Glenelg River -- 2019 -- 0749
Nelson, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Piccaninnie Beach

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 58 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
702kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 5 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 smushy
Energy
186kJ
Wind
W 18 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 35 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 smushy
Energy
798kJ
Wind
WSW 11 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 32 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,118kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 25 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,201kJ
Wind
SSE 9 kn
Temp
12°C

Sun 8 · 73 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
772kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 45 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
279kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 358, fair
  2. Wed 45, too small
  3. Thu 535, poor
  4. Fri 632, poor
  5. Sat 725, poor
  6. Sun 873, good
  7. Mon 945, fair
  8. Tue 1018, too small
  9. Wed 1115, poor
  10. Thu 1238, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Piccaninnie Beach, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov58, fair6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)702kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov5, too small3 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the west, 18 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov35, poor8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)798kJwind from the west-south-west, 11 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov32, poor8 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,118kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov25, poor9 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.)1,201kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots12°C
Sun 8Nov73, good7 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)772kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov45, fair5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)279kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov18, too small5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)610kJwind from the west-north-west, 19 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov15, poor9 ft10 smushy10 ft at break (est.)1,333kJwind from the south-south-west, 20 knots14°C
Thu 12Nov38, too small6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.)470kJwind from the south, 9 knots13°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 05:55 +0.2 mLow 11:32 +0.1 mHigh 12:15 +0.1 mLow 21:28 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 07:31 +0.1 mLow 19:42 −0.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 02:56 +0.0 mLow 05:49 +0.0 mHigh 10:43 +0.1 mLow 17:50 −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 experts: 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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Piccaninnie Beach

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

The spot faces S (192°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (12°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.5 km out (1 in 250). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Nelson, 5.7 km away (9 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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$1,890–US$3,620 each

about US$1,890–US$3,620 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$94–US$154
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$1,890–US$3,620

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

Nelson

9 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Nelson · Booking.com

About Nelson 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 32h 35m

About 32h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MGB, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), then 1h by road

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

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