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The Surfer
56th St.. Photo: Ian D. Keating, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

56th St.

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 74 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
255kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 58 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
216kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 ssoft
Energy
116kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
108kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 30 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
75kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 27 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
54kJ
Wind
NW 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 19 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
42kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 157, fair
  2. Mon 274, good
  3. Tue 358, fair
  4. Wed 440, too small
  5. Thu 533, poor
  6. Fri 630, too small
  7. Sat 727, too small
  8. Sun 819, too small
  9. Mon 916, too small
  10. Tue 1047, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Oct–Nov5 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at 56th St., each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov57, fair3 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)282kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore20°C
Mon 2Nov74, good3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)255kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov58, fair3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)216kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore21°C
Wed 4Nov40, too small2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)116kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov33, poor3 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)108kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov30, too small2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov27, too small1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)54kJwind from the north-west, 1 knot26°C
Sun 8Nov19, too small1 ft12 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov16, too small1 ft13 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot27°C
Tue 10Nov47, fair2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)126kJwind from the east-south-east, 0 knots24°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 NovHigh 03:37 +0.3 mLow 07:40 +0.1 mHigh 13:42 +0.6 mLow 21:21 −0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:30 +0.4 mLow 09:40 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.6 mLow 22:22 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.6 mLow 10:59 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:13 −0.8 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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of 56th St.

Huntington Beach Fire Department ET42
Near 56th St.. Photo: Eric Polk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Newport Beach Harbor 2018 by Don Ramey Logan
Near 56th St.. Photo: Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
CA Orange County
Photo: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About 56th St.

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (215°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (35°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 85). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually October and November, with about 5 good days in 7; in April and May, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Newport Beach, 6.9 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,060–US$1,930 each

about US$1,060–US$1,930 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SNA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,060–US$1,930

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Newport Beach

12 min by car · 33 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 33 places to stay in Newport Beach · Booking.com

About Newport Beach its beds, food and every spot near it

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 6h 45m

About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SNA, direct, then 30 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.