Explore / Australia · Western Australia

Margaret River.

Now

  · updated 14 hours ago
swell
4.4m
15s
wind
25 kt
southwest
N E S W
▬ swell – wind
-33.95, 114.70
Next days outlook
beta

4m southwest swell at 14-16 seconds peaks Thursday dawn under moderate wind building to blown-out by afternoon. Friday eases to 3-4m at 14-15s with blown-out southwest wind, while Saturday holds 3m at 11-13s under strong northwest wind shifting west. Sunday builds to 3-4m at 11-15s with strong southwest wind veering south, before Monday drops to 3-4m at 12-14s under blown-out south wind shifting southeast. Tuesday eases to 2-3m at 8-12s with moderate southeast wind turning blown-out, and Wednesday holds 2-3m at 9-18s with south-southwest influence under blown-out southeast wind. Next week, Thursday peaks at 2-2m at 14-16s from west-southwest under moderate southeast wind easing to light

Spots

Swell height

<7s
7–11s
11–13s
13–15s
15–18s
18+s

 

Wave systems

  • primary
  • secondary
  • tertiary
  • wind sea

 

Power

small
solid / average
energetic
heavy

 

Wind speed

light
moderate
strong
blown out

 

Tide

 

Weather

 

Nearby regions

About Margaret River

The Margaret River coast runs ~130 km of reefs and headland points from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, ~270 km south of Perth. The headline is Main Break at Surfers Point, an A-frame reef at the river mouth in Prevelly. The Box sits just inside, a right-hand slab over flat reef. North Point at Gracetown is the right-hand barrel up the road, and Cow Bombie is the outer big-wave reef offshore. The WSL Margaret River Pro has run at Surfers Point since 1985, and the event is locked on the Championship Tour through 2028.

April through September is when it fires, driven by Southern Ocean lows tracking east from south of South Africa. May and June are prime. Swell comes west to south-west, with Main Break facing about 260°. A typical winter day is 1.5 to 3 m, and it holds bigger. The Box needs long period to stand up, and North Point switches on with solid winter pulses. Any easterly is offshore. Summer brings the Fremantle Doctor, a south-west sea breeze that fills mid-morning, so dawn is the play.

Water sits at 16 to 17 °C in August, 21 to 22 °C in February. A 3/2 covers the year, a 4/3 on the coldest mornings. The reef is the first hazard. The Box breaks over a flat shelf with no give. Sharks are the second. White shark presence is real, and the 2018 Pro relocated to Bali after two non-fatal attacks at Gracetown. Locals are experienced and the Main Break lineup is heavy, but waves are plentiful enough across the coast that hassling is rare. On a soft or oversized day, drive north to Yallingup or duck just south of Surfers Point to Gas Bay.

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