Boiler
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 161kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 215, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 442, poor
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 666, good
- Sat 769, good
- Sun 862, good
- Mon 954, fair
- Tue 1012, too small
- Wed 1113, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Mar, Sep–Oct1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Boiler does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 66, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 69, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 62, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the west, 15 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:04 +0.4 mLow 06:59 −0.4 mHigh 13:29 +0.6 mLow 19:53 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:11 +0.5 mLow 08:12 −0.4 mHigh 14:34 +0.5 mLow 20:50 −0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:12 +0.5 mLow 09:21 −0.4 mHigh 15:34 +0.5 mLow 21:42 −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
best Mar, Sep–Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 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
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Boiler on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- New New Inlet 4.1 km away
- S-Turns 12.3 km away
- Rodanthe 13.9 km away
- Sea Haven 14.1 km away
- Rhodanthe Pier 14.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Boiler
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (74°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (254°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 62). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 27°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rodanthe. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,100–US$1,960 each
about US$1,100–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 ORF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$154–US$322 |
| 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$1,100–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: 2 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 25 min by car · 36 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Rodanthe its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Waves on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 42 places to stay
Nearest beds: Rodanthe, 14 km (about 25 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 6h 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ORF, direct, then 2h 50m by road
Flights MDW → ORF on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.