The Passage
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 797kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- NW 15 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 851kJ
- Wind
- W 16 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,470kJ
- Wind
- WNW 17 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 11 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,761kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,158kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 455kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 366, good
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 532, poor
- Fri 625, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 834, poor
- Mon 941, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
- Wed 1119, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 8 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,106kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 66, good | 7 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 797kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the north-west, 15 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, poor | 8 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 851kJ | wind from the west, 16 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, poor | 9 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,470kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 17 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,761kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, poor | 9 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,158kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 41, too small | 6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 455kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 6 ft11 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 634kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 19, poor | 6 ft11 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,008kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots | 14°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 04:59 +0.3 mLow 10:24 +0.1 mHigh 13:32 +0.2 mLow 21:27 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:31 +0.2 mLow 10:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:40 +0.1 mLow 21:46 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:03 +0.1 mLow 11:06 +0.1 mHigh 13:22 +0.1 mLow 21:13 −0.1 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).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 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
The Passage 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.
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.
Photos of The Passage
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
5 places
- The Lighthouse 1.4 km away
- Port Fairy 2.4 km away
- Bonecrunchers 3.8 km away
- Golfies - Port Fairy 4.5 km away
- The Cutting 12.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Passage
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (184°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (4°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Port Fairy, 1.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,930–US$3,670 each
about US$1,930–US$3,670 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$959–US$2,000 |
| 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$1,930–US$3,670 |
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 · 74 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Port Fairy its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Killarney on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 8 places to stay
- Beds in Warrnambool on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 74 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 → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 4h 30m by road
Flights MDW → MEL 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.