Cliffs
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 3 ft swell at 7 s
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- WSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- S 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 290kJ
- Wind
- WNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 29, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 636, poor
- Sat 734, poor
- Sun 855, fair
- Mon 969, good
- Tue 1046, fair
- Wed 1129, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 14 °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 intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 34, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the south, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 290kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 69, good | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 18 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 23 knots, offshore | 12°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 01:06 +0.4 mLow 07:06 −0.3 mHigh 13:31 +0.5 mLow 19:52 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:14 +0.5 mLow 08:23 −0.3 mHigh 14:37 +0.5 mLow 20:53 −0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:15 +0.5 mLow 09:31 −0.4 mHigh 15:36 +0.4 mLow 21:47 −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
- Feb1of 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
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 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, its town, photos
Cliffs 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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Photos of Cliffs
More surf near here
5 places
- Terrace 0.5 km away
- Montauk Ditch Plains 1.4 km away
- Trailor Park 1.9 km away
- Pink House 3.3 km away
- The Ranch 5.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cliffs
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (158°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (338°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 6°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Montauk, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 14°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$1,110–US$1,970 each
about US$1,110–US$1,970 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to HVN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$1,110–US$1,970 |
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 5 min by car · 33 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Montauk its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Springs on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in East Hampton on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 17 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 6h
About 6h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HVN, direct, then 1h 45m by road
Flights ORD → HVN on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.