Staying Home Sucks, home
Gordon Street Flinders 2014-10-22 02
Flinders, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Tangerineduel, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Second Reef

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

34Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 8 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (20 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 75 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
176kJ
Wind
NNW 11 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
351kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 54 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
156kJ
Wind
NW 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
526kJ
Wind
SW 10 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
694kJ
Wind
NW 13 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 smushy
Energy
738kJ
Wind
SW 13 kn
Temp
12°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 smushy
Energy
620kJ
Wind
SSE 9 kn
Temp
12°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 168, good
  2. Mon 275, good
  3. Tue 346, fair
  4. Wed 454, fair
  5. Thu 50, too big
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 70, too big
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 968, good
  10. Tue 1026, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Apr, Jun1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Second Reef, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov68, good4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov75, good4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair5 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)351kJwind from the south, 7 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov54, fair3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)156kJwind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore17°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)526kJwind from the south-west, 10 knots14°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big6 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)694kJwind from the north-west, 13 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big6 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)738kJwind from the south-west, 13 knots12°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.)620kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots12°C
Mon 9Nov68, good4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)224kJwind from the east, 4 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov26, too small2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)77kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots15°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

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 04:56 +1.4 mLow 10:39 −0.7 mHigh 16:39 +1.0 mLow 22:45 −1.4 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:40 +1.3 mLow 11:24 −0.7 mHigh 17:29 +0.9 mLow 23:33 −1.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:26 +1.1 mLow 12:12 −0.7 mHigh 18:26 +0.8 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 intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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 Second Reef

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

The spot faces S (164°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (344°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 14.3 km out (1 in 1429). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually April and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Flinders, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots.

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$1,920–US$3,660 each

about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$958–US$2,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout US$1,920–US$3,660

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

Closest

Flinders

12 min by car · 6 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 6 places to stay in Flinders · Booking.com

About Flinders 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 29h 40m

About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 55m by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.