Sandy back reef
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 126kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 325, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 657, fair
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 821, poor
- Mon 958, fair
- Tue 1059, fair
- Wed 1146, fair
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 23 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Sandy back reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 21, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 21°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 02:49 +0.2 mLow 08:15 −0.4 mHigh 14:59 +0.8 mLow 21:58 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:05 +0.3 mLow 09:38 −0.4 mHigh 16:08 +0.7 mLow 22:58 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:11 +0.4 mLow 10:56 −0.4 mHigh 17:12 +0.7 mLow 23:48 −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
- Mar2of 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
Sandy back reef on Google Maps · Directions
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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Photos of Sandy back reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Back Sandy 0.2 km away
- Front Emerald 1.1 km away
- Sandy Beach 1.1 km away
- Shelly's 1.5 km away
- Hearns 3.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandy back reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (128°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (308°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Emerald Beach, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.
Water about 23°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$1,760–US$3,370 each
about US$1,760–US$3,370 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 CFS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$906–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| 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$1,760–US$3,370 |
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 · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Emerald Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sandy Beach on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Woolgoolga on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 24 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 30h 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CFS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → CFS 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.