.jpg){kind=link}
Crystal Cove
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 2 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 94kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 271, good
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 476, good
- Thu 558, fair
- Fri 666, good
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 865, good
- Mon 951, fair
- Tue 1069, good
The spot in five 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
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 | 71, good | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 282kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 76, good | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 58, fair | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 66, good | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | offshorewind from the north, 1 knot, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 65, good | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 51, fair | 2 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 122kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 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 22:23 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.5 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 17:50 +0.5 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
No month stands out
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
- Mar4of 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
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Crystal Cove 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.
Photos of Crystal Cove
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
5 places
- Rocky Point 1.2 km away
- El Morro Cove 2.2 km away
- Scotchmans Cove 2.6 km away
- Corona del mar 3.9 km away
- The Wedge 4.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Crystal Cove
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (216°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (36°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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). The town to stay in is Newport Beach, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 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$1,060–US$1,930 each
about US$1,060–US$1,930 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 ORD to SNA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,060–US$1,930 |
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
about 10 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Corona Del Mar its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Newport Beach on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 33 places to stay
- Beds in Laguna Beach on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 49 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 6h 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SNA, direct, then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → SNA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.