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Horseshoe bay, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of South West Rocks

  • Front beach Surf spot · 1.7 km from South West Rocks
  • Grassy Head Surf spot · 11.2 km from South West Rocks
  • Scotts Head Surf spot · 15.9 km from South West Rocks
  • Suck Rock Surf spot · 17.2 km from South West Rocks

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

About Horseshoe bay

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

The spot faces NE (33°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (213°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 192). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is South West Rocks, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 31 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. 1 h 25 from the airport to Horseshoe bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in South West RocksAd

    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 South West Rocks · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in South West Rocks · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Horseshoe bay 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 18Oct434 ft7 smushy171kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct323 ft7 smushy78kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct504 ft6 smushy100kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct444 ft6 smushy117kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct344 ft6 smushy100kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct264 ft6 smushy86kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct235 ft6 smushy150kJ24°C
Sun 25Oct153 ft6 smushy79kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct544 ft6 smushy105kJ27°C
Tue 27Oct393 ft7 smushy103kJ21°C
Wed 28Oct282 ft6 smushy26kJ17°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 1h 25 by road. About 31h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Horseshoe bay

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

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Horseshoe bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Horseshoe bay

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Horseshoe bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 35 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CFS, changing at LAX and BNE, then 1h 25 by road. About 31h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near South West Rocks each day: Front beach, Horseshoe bay.

The trip from South West Rocks, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,540–£2,940 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
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£1,540–£2,940

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

Places to eat near South West Rocks

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.