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Shelly Beach Ballina from Lookout
Ballina, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Nerdge at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Sharps Beach

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 21 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
64kJ
Wind
E 8 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 17 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
23kJ
Wind
W 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
29kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
30°C

Fri 6 · 37 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
162kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 31 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
186kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 9 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
51kJ
Wind
S 23 kn
Temp
20°C

Mon 9 · 15 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
266kJ
Wind
SE 9 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 321, too small
  2. Wed 417, too small
  3. Thu 522, too small
  4. Fri 637, poor
  5. Sat 731, poor
  6. Sun 89, too small
  7. Mon 915, poor
  8. Tue 1033, poor
  9. Wed 1138, poor
  10. Thu 1254, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best May, Aug–Sep3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sharps Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov21, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)64kJwind from the east, 8 knots24°C
Wed 4Nov17, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the west, 9 knots, offshore25°C
Thu 5Nov22, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots, offshore30°C
Fri 6Nov37, poor5 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)162kJwind from the south, 10 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov31, poor5 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov9, too small2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the south, 23 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov15, poor6 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)266kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov33, poor4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the north, 6 knots23°C
Wed 11Nov38, poor4 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the north, 10 knots24°C
Thu 12Nov54, fair3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore26°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 04:01 +0.2 mLow 09:37 −0.4 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:07 +0.4 mLow 10:54 −0.4 mHigh 17:13 +0.7 mLow 23:50 −0.6 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 06:02 +0.5 mLow 12:00 −0.5 mHigh 18:07 +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 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.

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sharps Beach

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

The spot faces E (89°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (269°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 71). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, August and September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and February, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ballina, 5.3 km away (8 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,860–US$3,520 each

about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$892–US$1,850
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$148–US$242
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$1,860–US$3,520

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

Closest

Lennox Head

6 min by car · 16 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 16 places to stay in Lennox Head · Booking.com

About Lennox Head 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 29h 30m

About 29h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 15m by road

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

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