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Shipstern, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Port Arthur

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

Paque Nacional de Tasman 1
Shipstern. Photo: LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Shipstern

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

The spot faces SW (203°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (23°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7; in October, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Arthur.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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 32 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to HBA, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).

    See flights MDW → HBA · Skyscanner from about £855 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Shipstern.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Port Arthur, 10 km (about 20 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Shipstern: plan on the drive each day you surf.

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

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

    See all places to stay in Port Arthur, 10 km away 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 Port Arthur · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Port Arthur · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Shipstern 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 18Oct413 ft9 shollow100kJ23°C
Mon 19Oct674 ft10 shollow269kJ26°C
Tue 20Oct543 ft10 shollow208kJ26°C
Wed 21Oct534 ft10 shollow244kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct206 ft11 shollow717kJ27°C
Fri 23Oct595 ft11 shollow563kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct525 ft10 shollow452kJ21°C
Sun 25Oct323 ft11 shollow255kJ11°C
Mon 26Oct315 ft9 smushy313kJ13°C
Tue 27Oct06 ft10 shollow589kJ14°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to HBA, changing at DFW and AKL, then 1h 05 by road. About 32h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Shipstern

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Shipstern

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Shipstern

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 6 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Shipstern

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Shipstern

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to HBA, changing at DFW and AKL, then 1h 05 by road. About 32h 20 door to door

The trip from Port Arthur, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,590–£3,050 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 HBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£855–£1,780
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£1,590–£3,050

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

Places to eat near Port Arthur

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

Nearest beds: Port Arthur, 10 km (about 20 min by car) · 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.