Big River
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 10 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 2,097kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 1,450kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 1,032kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 707kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 2,365kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 2,459kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 1,207kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 124, too small
- Mon 278, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 681, good
- Sat 780, good
- Sun 874, good
- Mon 981, good
- Tue 1036, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Big River does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 255kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 7 ft15 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 2,097kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 7 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 1,450kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 8 ft9 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 1,032kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 6 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 707kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 81, good | 10 ft12 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 2,365kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 80, good | 10 ft11 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 2,459kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 74, good | 8 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 1,207kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 81, good | 9 ft10 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 1,726kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 6 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 564kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 17°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 04:56 +0.5 mLow 09:48 −0.0 mHigh 15:23 +0.7 mLow 22:45 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:51 +0.6 mLow 11:17 −0.1 mHigh 16:48 +0.6 mLow 23:46 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:38 +0.7 mLow 12:34 −0.4 mHigh 18:14 +0.5 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
Big River on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Big River
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More surf near here
3 places
- Caspar 7.3 km away
- Jug Handle State Beach 8 km away
- Hare Creek 12.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Big River
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (231°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (51°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in September, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Mendocino, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 13°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$1,200–US$2,160 each
about US$1,200–US$2,160 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 SMF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$523 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,160 |
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
1 min by car · 36 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Mendocino its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Fort Bragg on Booking.com
27 min by car · 28 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 10h
About 10h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SMF, direct, then 3h 50m by road
Flights MDW → SMF on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.