Bird Island
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- W 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 240, too small
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 444, poor
- Thu 548, fair
- Fri 637, too small
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
- Wed 115, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 19°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 00:51 +0.7 mLow 07:01 −0.7 mHigh 13:22 +0.9 mLow 19:50 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:58 +0.7 mLow 08:11 −0.7 mHigh 14:26 +0.8 mLow 20:49 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:01 +0.8 mLow 09:16 −0.7 mHigh 15:25 +0.8 mLow 21:43 −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 and its town
Bird Island 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Little River Jetties 0.6 km away
- Sunset Beach 3.5 km away
- Cherry Grove Pier 9.2 km away
- Ocean Isle 9.9 km away
- Holden Beach 22.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bird Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (146°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (326°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 4.3 km out (1 in 435). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Sunset Beach, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,110–US$1,960 each
about US$1,110–US$1,960 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 MYR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$328 |
| 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$1,110–US$1,960 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Sunset Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cherry Grove Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 61 places to stay
- Beds in Ocean Isle Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 26 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 05m
About 5h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MYR, direct, then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → MYR on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.