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?

24Poor 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 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
28kJ
Wind
SE 15 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 71 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
13kJ
Wind
WSW 7 kn
Temp
24°C

Thu 5 · 25 out of 100

Swell
1 ft4 smushy
Energy
3kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 7 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft2 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
23°C

Sun 8 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
N 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
NNW 9 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, poor
  2. Tue 313, poor
  3. Wed 471, good
  4. Thu 525, too small
  5. Fri 67, too small
  6. Sat 76, too small
  7. Sun 82, too small
  8. Mon 93, too small
  9. Tue 106, too small
  10. Wed 115, 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

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Dauphin Island Pier, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, poor3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the east-north-east, 17 knots24°C
Tue 3Nov13, poor2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)28kJwind from the south-east, 15 knots24°C
Wed 4Nov71, good2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots, offshore24°C
Thu 5Nov25, too small1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the north, 5 knots23°C
Fri 6Nov7, too smallunder 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov6, too small1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east, 3 knots23°C
Sun 8Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north, 10 knots19°C
Mon 9Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north-north-west, 9 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov6, too small1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov5, too smallunder 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots19°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 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.

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 2 November 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$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

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 2 November 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.