Staying Home Sucks, home
Tide pools at Shelter Cove, California
Near Deadman's. Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Deadman's

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

70Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 9: 11 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 37 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 ssoft
Energy
839kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 65 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,048kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 63 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
961kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 71 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,355kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 76 out of 100

Swell
11 ft12 ssoft
Energy
3,096kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 71 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,007kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 78 out of 100

Swell
11 ft11 ssoft
Energy
2,545kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 269, good
  2. Tue 337, poor
  3. Wed 465, good
  4. Thu 563, good
  5. Fri 671, good
  6. Sat 776, good
  7. Sun 871, good
  8. Mon 978, good
  9. Tue 1022, poor
  10. Wed 1127, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Deadman's does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Deadman's, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov69, good8 ft15 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,303kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots14°C
Tue 3Nov37, poor6 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)839kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov65, good8 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)1,048kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore16°C
Thu 5Nov63, good7 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)961kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov71, good10 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,355kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore18°C
Sat 7Nov76, good11 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)3,096kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov71, good8 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,007kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore17°C
Mon 9Nov78, good11 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)2,545kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov22, poor12 ft11 smushy4 ft at break (est.)3,103kJwind from the south, 15 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov27, poor11 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)2,126kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots16°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 05:53 +0.6 mLow 11:20 −0.2 mHigh 16:53 +0.6 mLow 23:48 −1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:42 +0.7 mLow 12:36 −0.4 mHigh 18:18 +0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:45 −0.9 mHigh 07:24 +0.8 mLow 13:40 −0.6 mHigh 19:36 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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 Deadman's

Rocky beach at Shelter Cove, California
Near Deadman's, 1 km away. Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Deadman's

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

The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 41). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Shelter Cove, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 13°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$1,210–US$2,180 each

about US$1,210–US$2,180 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 ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$262–US$543
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$1,210–US$2,180

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Shelter Cove

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

Closest

Shelter Cove

about 5 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Shelter Cove · Booking.com

About Shelter Cove 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 11h 50m

About 11h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 2h 10m by road

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