Transit reef, Australia
Also within 20 km of Rottnest Island
- Salmon Bay Surf spot · 1.2 km from Rottnest Island
- North point Surf spot · 1.6 km from Rottnest Island
- Fruit Bowl Surf spot · 2.2 km from Rottnest Island
- Riceys Beach Surf spot · 2.4 km from Rottnest Island
- Piss head's Surf spot · 2.5 km from Rottnest Island
- Stark Bay Surf spot · 2.7 km from Rottnest Island
- Chicken Reef Surf spot · 2.8 km from Rottnest Island
- The basin Surf spot · 2.9 km from Rottnest Island
Watch this spot We email you when Transit reef is worth the trip.
About Transit reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces N (9°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (189°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 139). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 22°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Rottnest Island, 3.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.
Book the trip
From Chicago: about 32 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
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 returnAdGetting there. 1 h from the airport to Transit reef.
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 in Rottnest Island (ad) on Booking.com →Closest towns to stay in
Rottnest Island 7 min by car · rooms from £90 a night · where Transit reef stays
Places to stay in Rottnest Island · Booking.com Ad
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Rottnest Island · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Rottnest Island · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Transit reef 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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 33, poor | 8 ft9 ssoft | 1,148kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 49, good | 7 ft9 ssoft | 733kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 34, poor | 7 ft11 ssoft | 1,087kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 20, poor | 10 ft12 smushy | 2,478kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 48, good | 11 ft11 ssoft | 2,643kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 13 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 60, good | 10 ft12 ssoft | 2,590kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 21 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 58, good | 9 ft11 ssoft | 1,600kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 13 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 52, good | 7 ft10 ssoft | 846kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 38, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft | 381kJ | offshorewind from the south, 6 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 15, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft | 207kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 28Oct | 0, poor | – | – | – | – |
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
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to PER, changing at HKG, then 1h by road. About 32h 55 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Rotto Box
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctSurf Chicken Reef
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 8 ft at 12 s, wind 13 kn (25 km/h).
- Thu 22 OctSurf Transit reef
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 11 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
- Fri 23 OctSurf North point
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 12 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
- Sat 24 OctSurf Stark Bay
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 12 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to PER, changing at HKG, then 1h by road. About 32h 55 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.
Rough cost
About £1,655–£3,200 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PER, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £960–£1,995 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | £70–£115 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | £240–£395 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £245–£455 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £105–£175 |
| Total | £1,655–£3,200 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
Book the trip
Where to stayAd
Places to stay · Booking.com (ad)Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.