U-Turns
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 420kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 414kJ
- Wind
- SW 12 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 729kJ
- Wind
- WNW 16 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,076kJ
- Wind
- SSW 17 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 665kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 280kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 274, good
- Tue 344, poor
- Wed 444, poor
- Thu 510, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 982, good
- Tue 1044, too small
- Wed 1130, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 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 intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 74, good | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 44, poor | 5 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 420kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 414kJ | wind from the south-west, 12 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 729kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,076kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 17 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 665kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 82, good | 4 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 280kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 211kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 320kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 15°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 05:32 +1.2 mLow 11:16 −0.7 mHigh 17:21 +0.8 mLow 23:23 −1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:19 +1.1 mLow 12:04 −0.7 mHigh 18:19 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:14 −1.0 mHigh 07:09 +0.9 mLow 12:57 −0.7 mHigh 19:27 +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).
- Jan2of 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
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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 and its town
U-Turns 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.
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
- Cape Schanck 0.5 km away
- Bushrangers bay 1.6 km away
- Gunnamatta 4.2 km away
- Cape Flinders 4.9 km away
- St Andrews Beach 8.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About U-Turns
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (230°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (50°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Cape Schanck, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 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$1,930–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 10 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Cape Schanck its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in St Andrews Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Flinders on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 6 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 29h 40m
About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 50m 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.