Bill's Bowls
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 8 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,332kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 955kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 375kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 2,085kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 2,334kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 792kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,342kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 267, good
- Tue 362, good
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 542, too small
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 732, poor
- Sun 859, fair
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1038, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 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.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 67, good | 7 ft15 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 1,907kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 62, good | 7 ft13 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 1,332kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 8 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 955kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 42, too small | 5 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 375kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 9 ft12 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 2,085kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, poor | 10 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 2,334kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 59, fair | 7 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 792kJ | offshorewind from the north, 1 knot, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 8 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 1,342kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, poor | 8 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 1,349kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 15°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 05:43 +0.5 mLow 11:05 −0.1 mHigh 16:36 +0.6 mLow 23:35 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:29 +0.6 mLow 12:22 −0.3 mHigh 18:01 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:30 −0.8 mHigh 07:10 +0.7 mLow 13:24 −0.6 mHigh 19:17 +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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Bill's Bowls 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
- Sonoma Coast State Beach 3 km away
- Russian Rivermouth 14.6 km away
- Goat Rock 15.2 km away
- Omar shereef 22.5 km away
- Salmon Creek 26.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bill's Bowls
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (225°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (45°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Jenner. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$2,170 each
about US$1,200–US$2,170 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 OAK, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$536 |
| 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$2,170 |
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
about 30 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Jenner its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bodega Bay on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 15 places to stay
Nearest beds: Jenner, 16 km (about 30 min by car)
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 8h 50m
About 8h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → OAK, direct, then 2h 30m by road
Flights MDW → OAK on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.