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Cathedral rock, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Rottnest Island

All 16 on Rottnest Island's map

Watch this spot We email you when Cathedral rock is worth the trip.

About Cathedral rock

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

The spot faces W (273°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (93°). 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 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 22°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March, April and May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rottnest Island, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.

Water about 19°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 33 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Perth International Airport (PER), changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).

    See flights ORD → PER · Skyscanner from about £960 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 10 from the airport to Cathedral rock.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Rottnest IslandAd

    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 Rottnest Island · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Rottnest Island · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Cathedral rock on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct011 ft11 smushy2,438kJ18°C
Mon 19Oct548 ft9 scrumbling827kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct367 ft9 scrumbling670kJ19°C
Wed 21Oct012 ft12 smushy3,976kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct014 ft11 smushy4,337kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct013 ft12 smushy4,317kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct013 ft10 ssoft2,982kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct149 ft10 scrumbling1,304kJ16°C
Mon 26Oct438 ft8 scrumbling754kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct486 ft8 scrumbling408kJ23°C
Wed 28Oct0––––

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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to PER, changing at HKG, then 1h 10 by road. About 33h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Rotto Box

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Chicken Reef

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 8 ft at 12 s, wind 13 kn (25 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Transit reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 11 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf North point

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 12 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Stark Bay

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 12 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to PER, changing at HKG, then 1h 10 by road. About 33h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 17 spots near Rottnest Island each day: Bullets, Cathedral rock, Chicken Reef, Fruit Bowl, Hollow Night, Investigators, North point, Piss head's, Riceys Beach, Rotto Box, Salmon Bay, Stark Bay, Strickland Bay, The basin, The Basin Ledge, The Basins Lefty, Transit reef.

The trip from Rottnest Island, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,695–£3,265 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 ORD to PER, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£960–£1,995
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£110–£180
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£1,695–£3,265

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

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.