38th St. Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 s
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 s
- Energy
- 223kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 s
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 110, too small
- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 33, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 643, too small
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 813, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 102, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Sep–Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, too small | 5 ft7 s6 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | offshorewind from the west, 6 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft7 s6 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 2, too small | 2 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 19 knots | 18°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:42 −0.5 mHigh 12:12 +0.8 mLow 18:49 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:55 +0.5 mLow 06:53 −0.5 mHigh 13:19 +0.8 mLow 19:52 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:04 +0.5 mLow 08:04 −0.5 mHigh 14:25 +0.7 mLow 20:51 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Sep–Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
38th St. Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- The Jetty 2.1 km away
- Crystals 3.4 km away
- Metros 3.6 km away
- Castles 4 km away
- Ventnor Pier 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About 38th St. Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually September and October, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Atlantic City, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,100–US$1,950 each
about US$1,100–US$1,950 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PHL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$154–US$315 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,100–US$1,950 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
7 min by car · 87 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Atlantic City its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Strathmere on Booking.com
56 min by car · 3 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 5h 45m
About 5h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PHL, direct, then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → PHL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.