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2nd island, Australia

Stay in Sawtell: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Sawtell

All 22 on Sawtell's map

Watch this spot We email you when 2nd island is worth the trip.

Sawtell Beach
2nd island. Photo: Peter borley, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About 2nd island

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces E (93°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (273°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 41). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sawtell, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 30 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to CFS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE).

    See flights MDW → CFS · Skyscanner from about £805 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 25 min from the airport to 2nd island.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in SawtellAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Sawtell · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Sawtell · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

2nd island on Google Maps · Directions

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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.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct524 ft8 smushy133kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct443 ft6 smushy49kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct534 ft6 smushy100kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct554 ft6 smushy100kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct454 ft6 smushy78kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct403 ft6 smushy64kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct404 ft6 smushy104kJ25°C
Sun 25Oct373 ft6 smushy86kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct444 ft6 smushy74kJ29°C
Tue 27Oct253 ft7 smushy65kJ21°C
Wed 28Oct202 ft6 smushy19kJ18°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to CFS, changing at LAX and BNE, then 25 min by road. About 30h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Bundagen

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Bundagen

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Southside - Sawtell

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 7 kn (12 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Bundagen

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf 2nd island

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CFS, changing at LAX and BNE, then 25 min by road. About 30h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Sawtell each day: 2nd island, Bundagen, Murrays, Southside - Sawtell, trapdoors.

The trip from Sawtell, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,445–£2,785 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CFS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£805–£1,670
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£240–£395
Food7 days eating out£245–£455
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£105–£175
Total£1,445–£2,785

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Sawtell

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.