Back to results

Potholes, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Ulladulla

All 26 on Ulladulla's map

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

Ulladulla beach
Ulladulla, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: kelvincheong, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Potholes

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

The spot faces SE (119°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (299°). 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 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 23°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in February and October, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ulladulla, 5.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 30 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD), changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

    See flights MDW → SYD · Skyscanner from about £820 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 3 h 20 from the airport to Potholes.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in UlladullaAd

    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 Ulladulla · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Ulladulla · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Potholes on Google Maps · Directions

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.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct454 ft7 smushy135kJ18°C
Mon 19Oct183 ft5 smushy39kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct122 ft4 smushy15kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct143 ft5 smushy31kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct173 ft5 smushy31kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct204 ft5 smushy53kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct254 ft5 smushy77kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct384 ft7 smushy151kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct434 ft6 smushy136kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct242 ft6 smushy27kJ19°C
Wed 28Oct121 ft7 smushy9kJ20°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 SYD, changing at LAX, then 3h 20 by road. About 30h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Bannisters point

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Bannisters point

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Bannisters point

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Golf course reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to SYD, changing at LAX, then 3h 20 by road. About 30h 15 door to door

The plan picks the best of 9 spots near Ulladulla each day: Bannisters point, Dolphins point, Erries Right, Golf course reef, Mollymook Reef, Potholes, Racecourse Reef, Rennies beach - flat rock, Wairo point.

The trip from Ulladulla, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,555–£2,975 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£820–£1,705
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£1,555–£2,975

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

Places to eat near Ulladulla

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.