Boxcars
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 2 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 s
- Energy
- 172kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 s
- Energy
- 158kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 s
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 s
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 s
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 277, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 523, too small
- Fri 668, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 874, good
- Mon 965, good
- Tue 1063, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–7 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Aug, Oct–Nov5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 77, good | 3 ft12 s5 ft at break (est.) | 196kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 3 ft12 s5 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 2 ft12 s3 ft at break (est.) | 158kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft12 s3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 68, good | 3 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 2 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 74, good | 2 ft10 s2 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 65, good | 2 ft11 s2 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 63, good | 3 ft11 s3 ft at break (est.) | 160kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 23°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 04:30 +0.4 mLow 09:40 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.6 mLow 22:22 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.6 mLow 10:59 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:13 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:46 +0.7 mLow 11:56 −0.5 mHigh 17:51 +0.6 mLow 23:56 −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.
Best time to go
best Aug, Oct–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Boxcars 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Magnolia Street 1.8 km away
- 17th Street 2.2 km away
- Bolsa Chica 3.8 km away
- Huntington Beach 3.9 km away
- Sunset Beach usa north OC 6.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Boxcars
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (208°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (28°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually August, October and November, with about 5 good days in 7; in March, April and May, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Huntington Beach, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$1,090–US$1,980 each
about US$1,090–US$1,980 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to LGB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$47–US$80 |
| 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$1,090–US$1,980 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Huntington Beach
about 10 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Huntington Beach 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 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LGB, direct, then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → LGB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.