Beach

both

Level 6/10

Pennington Bay

Kangaroo Island, Australia

🦈Sharks🌀Strong rips🏝️Remote

Pennington Bay is Kangaroo Island's premier surf spot—a powerful beach break that takes the full force of Southern Ocean swells. The remote island location means crowds are virtually non-existent, but so are services. When solid SW groundswells arrive, Pennington produces heavy, punchy waves that rival mainland breaks. The island is famous for its wildlife, including kangaroos, koalas, and sea lions, and the bushland setting is pristine. Great White sharks patrol these waters, so local knowledge and personal deterrents are recommended.

10-Day Forecast

Today

Poor

2.5mSSE

@8s

28km/h

Wed

Poor

2.8mSW

@10s

28km/h

Choppy

Thu

Poor

2.6mS

@9s

23km/h

Choppy

Fri

Poor

1.8mSSE

@10s

16km/h

Choppy

Sat

Poor

1.3mSSW

@10s

22km/h

Choppy

Sun

Poor

2.1mSW

@11s

15km/h

Choppy

Mon

Fair

1.7mSW

@12s

9km/h

Tue

Fair

1.7mSW

@14s

23km/h

Wed

Poor

2.6mSW

@9s

31km/h

Choppy

Thu

Poor

2.8mS

@8s

32km/h

Choppy

Today

Tue, Jan 20

2.5m @ 8s SSE

28 km/h S

Wed

Wed, Jan 21

2.8m @ 10s SW

28 km/h S

Choppy

Thu

Thu, Jan 22

2.6m @ 9s S

23 km/h SE

Choppy

Fri

Fri, Jan 23

1.8m @ 10s SSE

16 km/h NNE

Choppy

Sat

Sat, Jan 24

1.3m @ 10s SSW

22 km/h S

Choppy

Sun

Sun, Jan 25

2.1m @ 11s SW

15 km/h SE

Choppy

Mon

Mon, Jan 26

1.7m @ 12s SW

9 km/h S

Tue

Tue, Jan 27

1.7m @ 14s SW

23 km/h WSW

Wed

Wed, Jan 28

2.6m @ 9s SW

31 km/h SSE

Choppy

Thu

Thu, Jan 29

2.8m @ 8s S

32 km/h SSE

Choppy

Today's Conditions

Swell

2.5m

SSE(149°)

Score: 13/25

Period

Short period / windswell

Score: 7/25

Wind

28km/h

S(183°)

Score: 0/25

Weather

20°C

0.0mm55%

Windswell Component

1.1mS@4s

Secondary Swell

0.5mSSW

Forecast Confidence

100%

Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather

Best Session

afternoon

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Swell Direction

0/25

How well swell angle matches the spot

Swell Size

13/25

Wave height in the ideal range

Swell Period

7/25

Each spot has different period requirements. Points and reefs can handle longer periods than beaches.

Wind

0/25

Offshore/glassy conditions

Total Score20/100

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

View in OpenStreetMap

Showing forecast for today

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SSW (210°)
Direction range: 180° - 250°
Size range: 1m - 3m
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: N (0°)
Offshore range: 315° - 45°
Best window: morning

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: all
Optimal range: 0.3m - 1.5m

Water temp

16°C

Wetsuit

4/3mm fullsuit

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

2/10

Access: Ferry to Kangaroo Island, then drive. Or fly direct.

Getting There

Airport

ADL

Drive time

180 min

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Sep

Secondary: Mar, Oct

Winter swells from the Southern Ocean. Exposed and powerful.

Data Quality

verified

Verified by Surfline, local SA surfers