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Cat Bay, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Cowes

All 18 on Cowes's map

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

Sun and waves in Port Philip
Near Cat Bay. Photo: Sulz-90, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Cat Bay

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

The spot faces NW (297°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (117°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 16.7 km out (1 in 1667). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Cowes, 9.9 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Melbourne Airport (MEL), changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

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

  2. Getting there. 2 h from the airport to Cat Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CowesAd

    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 Cowes · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Cowes · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Cat Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct103 ft12 smushy225kJ26°C
Tue 20Oct63 ft11 smushy162kJ26°C
Wed 21Oct163 ft9 ssoft115kJ23°C
Thu 22Oct286 ft12 smushy837kJ29°C
Fri 23Oct135 ft12 smushy699kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct164 ft12 smushy436kJ26°C
Sun 25Oct425 ft10 ssoft486kJ15°C
Mon 26Oct117 ft9 smushy685kJ12°C
Tue 27Oct345 ft9 ssoft370kJ13°C
Wed 28Oct214 ft9 smushy260kJ15°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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to MEL, changing at LAX, then 2h by road. About 29h 45 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Berry's Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Berry's Beach

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 6 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Forrest caves

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Surf Berry's Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to MEL, changing at LAX, then 2h by road. About 29h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 13 spots near Cowes each day: Berry's Beach, boofs, Cat Bay, Crazy Birds, dungeons., Express Point, Flynns Reef, Forrest caves, Papas, Pyramid Rock, summerlands (the other end ! ), Surfies Point, YCW.

The trip from Cowes, 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, 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 Cowes

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.