Staying Home Sucks, home
Dauphin Island 06May2010 01
Dauphin Island, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Altairisfar (Jeffrey Reed), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dauphin Island Pier

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

13Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 2 ft swell at 4 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
13kJ
Wind
ESE 17 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
17kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
24°C

Thu 5 · 14 out of 100

Swell
1 ft4 smushy
Energy
4kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 5 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft4 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
WNW 9 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 smushy
Energy
1kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
23°C

Sun 8 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft2 smushy
Energy
1kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Mon 9 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
NNW 17 kn
Temp
19°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 27, too small
  2. Tue 32, too small
  3. Wed 437, too small
  4. Thu 514, too small
  5. Fri 65, too small
  6. Sat 74, too small
  7. Sun 85, too small
  8. Mon 92, too small
  9. Tue 103, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 22 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Dauphin Island Pier, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov7, too small2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the east-north-east, 18 knots24°C
Tue 3Nov2, too small1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the east-south-east, 17 knots24°C
Wed 4Nov37, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots24°C
Thu 5Nov14, too small1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots24°C
Fri 6Nov5, too smallunder 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov4, too small1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots23°C
Sun 8Nov5, too small1 ft2 smushy1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots23°C
Mon 9Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north-north-west, 17 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore17°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 01:56 +0.3 mLow 12:25 −0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:22 +0.2 mLow 12:57 −0.1 mHigh 21:10 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:21 +0.0 mHigh 06:35 +0.1 mLow 13:13 +0.0 mHigh 19:30 +0.1 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.

Map

the spot and its town

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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Dauphin Island Pier

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (96°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (276°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 3.4 km out (1 in 345). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Dauphin Island, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 22°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$1,110–US$1,980 each

about US$1,110–US$1,980 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PNS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$161–US$342
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,110–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: Dauphin Island

Closest

Dauphin Island

about 10 min by car · 24 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 24 places to stay in Dauphin Island · Booking.com

About Dauphin Island 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

About 6h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PNS, direct, then 1h 55m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.