Is it worth the trip?
67Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 402kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 455kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 420kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 276kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 515kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 332kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 152, fair
- Mon 277, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 461, good
- Thu 543, poor
- Fri 644, poor
- Sat 755, fair
- Sun 882, good
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1076, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Aug–Nov4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 429kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 77, good | 4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 402kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 4 ft14 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 455kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 61, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 420kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, poor | 5 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 276kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 515kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 82, good | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 332kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 279kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 76, good | 4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 392kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:37 +0.1 mHigh 13:33 +0.6 mLow 21:15 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:24 +0.4 mLow 09:37 −0.1 mHigh 15:13 +0.6 mLow 22:15 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:03 +0.6 mLow 10:53 −0.3 mHigh 16:36 +0.5 mLow 23:05 −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.
Best time to go
best Aug–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Calafia 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.
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
- Mushrooms 0.2 km away
- Popotla 1.2 km away
- Marias 2.9 km away
- Mother Theresas 2.9 km away
- Terasa'sTrailerPark 2.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Calafia
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (230°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (50°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 4 good days in 7; in March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Las Gaviotas, 5.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 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$811–US$1,480 each
about US$811–US$1,480 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 SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$811–US$1,480 |
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
10 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Las Gaviotas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puerto Nuevo on Booking.com
15 min by car · 8 places to stay
- Beds in Playas de Rosarito on Booking.com
18 min by car · 33 places to stay
About US$67 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 7h 20m
About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.