Staying Home Sucks, home
Waves - panoramio (2)
Avalanche. Photo: Alen Ištoković, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Avalanche

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

24Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft15 ssoft
Energy
206kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
210kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 36 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
244kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
106kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 ssoft
Energy
166kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
133kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
113kJ
Wind
NW 5 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 231, too small
  2. Tue 318, too small
  3. Wed 428, too small
  4. Thu 536, too small
  5. Fri 611, too small
  6. Sat 723, too small
  7. Sun 816, too small
  8. Mon 914, too small
  9. Tue 1023, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Avalanche, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov31, too small4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)253kJwind from the east, 7 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov18, too small2 ft15 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)206kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov28, too small3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)210kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov36, too small4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov11, too small2 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)106kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov23, too small2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)166kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov16, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)133kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov14, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)113kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots24°C
Tue 10Nov23, too small2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the south, 4 knots23°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

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:25 +0.4 mLow 09:36 −0.1 mHigh 15:16 +0.6 mLow 22:17 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:05 +0.6 mLow 10:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:38 +0.5 mLow 23:07 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:40 +0.7 mLow 11:51 −0.5 mHigh 17:45 +0.5 mLow 23:50 −0.7 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 experts: 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 Avalanche

Vista de Ocean Beach
Photo: RMundoCa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
On the beach - panoramio (3)
Photo: Alen Ištoković, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Big surf hits Ocean Beach, California - panoramio
Photo: Bengt Nyman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Avalanche

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

The spot faces W (255°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (75°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 88). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is San Diego, 9.5 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 19 surf spots, 5 wind sports spots, 3 dive sites and 1 kayak 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 MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline 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

San Diego

about 20 min by car · 185 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 185 places to stay in San Diego · Booking.com

About San Diego 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 30m

About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 25 min by road

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