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shallows
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 168kJ
- Wind
- SW 15 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- SW 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 521, too small
- Fri 624, poor
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 830, poor
- Mon 930, too small
- Tue 108, too small
- Wed 1114, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–17 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, too small | 4 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, poor | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 15 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the south, 16 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 40, too small | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 16 knots, offshore | 18°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 03:12 +0.3 mLow 08:33 −0.3 mHigh 15:00 +0.7 mLow 21:58 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:21 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:09 +0.6 mLow 22:57 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:20 +0.4 mLow 11:09 −0.3 mHigh 17:14 +0.6 mLow 23:48 −0.6 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, its town, photos
shallows on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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.
Photos of shallows
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More surf near here
5 places
- Shellharbour South Beach 0.9 km away
- Redsands 1 km away
- Mab Reef 1.4 km away
- Cowries 1.6 km away
- The farm 1.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About shallows
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (59°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (239°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 104). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Shellharbour, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 14 surf spots.
Water about 20°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$1,890–US$3,590 each
about US$1,890–US$3,590 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$926–US$1,920 |
| 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$1,890–US$3,590 |
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 · 15 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Shellharbour its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Barrack Point on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Bombo on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 18 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 28h 30m
About 28h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → SYD 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.