Ratchet
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
5Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: too small (1 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 43, too small
- Thu 54, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 104, too small
- Wed 114, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 26°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 04:00 +0.1 mLow 09:33 −0.7 mHigh 16:30 +1.1 mLow 23:20 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:03 +0.3 mLow 10:40 −0.8 mHigh 17:16 +1.2 mLow 23:55 −0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:51 +0.6 mLow 11:35 −0.8 mHigh 17:56 +1.2 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
Ratchet 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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More surf near here
3 places
- rocky point 8.7 km away
- Ellis Beach North 11.3 km away
- Port Douglas 18.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ratchet
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (53°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (233°). 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 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in June, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Oak Beach, 5.2 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 28°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$1,780–US$3,410 each
about US$1,780–US$3,410 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CNS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$886–US$1,850 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$81–US$134 |
| 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$1,780–US$3,410 |
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 10 min by car · 9 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Oak Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Port Douglas on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 109 places to stay
- Beds in Clifton Beach on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 42 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 32h 15m
About 32h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CNS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → CNS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
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.