The Margaret River coastline runs from the sheltered swimming beach at Gnarabup and Prevelly south to Hamelin Bay near Cape Leeuwin — five beaches that range from family-friendly bay swimming to Surfers Point, home to the annual Margaret River Pro and one of the most powerful waves in Australia. The live shelter rating is especially relevant here given how quickly swell and wind conditions change around the cape.
The best beach in Margaret River depends on current wind conditions. Gnarabup Beach is the most sheltered, family-friendly option near town, while Surfers Point and Prevelly Beach see full south-westerly exposure. Check the live shelter rating to compare them right now.
Yes — Surfers Point, home to the Margaret River Pro surf contest, faces south-west directly into the open Southern Ocean, making it one of the most exposed and high-energy beaches in the region.
Gnarabup Beach is generally the calmest ocean beach near Margaret River, thanks to its river mouth location which moderates incoming wind and wave energy. For an even more sheltered option, Hamelin Bay to the south offers protected, calm water.
Beaches of Australia calculates each rating from three live inputs — current wind speed, wind direction, and the beach's exact facing direction and surrounding topography. These combine into a live algorithm that produces a score out of 10, recalculated every 15 minutes, so the rating always reflects real conditions rather than a seasonal average.
A rating of 8–10 means a beach is currently well protected from wind, with calmer water suited to swimming and families. A rating of 1–3 means it's highly exposed, with rougher conditions likely. Because ratings update live, the same beach can move up or down within hours as wind shifts.
Wind speed, wind direction and shelter ratings are updated every 15 minutes using live weather data. That means the rating you see reflects current conditions, not last night's forecast — so it's worth checking again just before you leave.
Select your state or region and Beaches of Australia ranks every beach by its live shelter rating, so you can see at a glance which nearby beach is currently most sheltered from wind — updated every 15 minutes.
Yes — Beaches of Australia is free to use. Every shelter rating, updated every 15 minutes, is available at no cost across all regions.
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