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Butterbox Surf Guide

Butterbox in Sydney North is an exposed reef break that has fairly consistent surf, although summer tends to be mostly flat. The best wind direction is from the west. Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the south southeast. The left reef break is best, but there is a right reef too.. Best around mid tide when the tide is rising. Rarely crowded here. Watch out for urchins, rips, rocks, obstacles, sharks,seaweed.

Butterbox Spot Info

Type:Rating:
Icon reef  redReefIcon  s33.1
Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent
19.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Butterbox:

The best conditions reported for surf at Butterbox occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Surf Forecasts:

What's the best time of year to surf Butterbox (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Butterbox with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 51% of the time in July while 27% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 22% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
51%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
27%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
22%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Butterbox Location Map

Interactive Butterbox surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Butterbox is Kingsford Smith International Airport (Sydney) Airport (SYD) in Australia, 26 km (16 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Butterbox is Sydney Bankstown Airport (BWU), also in Australia, 37 km (23 miles) away.

Icon breakBreak
Icon legend buoysLive Wave Height (m)
Icon legend windLive Wind Speed (km/h)
Placeholder
Map placeholder
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Butterbox Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Saturday, 10 June 2023, 06:53 Local Time
Saturday 10
7AM10AM1PM4PM
Wave (m)
0.5
E
0.5
E
0.5
E
0.5
E
Period (s) 12 12 11 11
Wind (km/h)
10
10
10
0
Wind State off off cross-
off
glass

Swell History at Butterbox

Surf stats for Butterbox, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Butterbox

Wind stats for Butterbox, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Butterbox. Click below to view there surf guides.


Wave Buoys Nearest To Butterbox:

Nearby location  blueNearest
Nearby location  blueNearest