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Diablo Deck - San Luis Obispo

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

27Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 74 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 shollow
Energy
396kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Tue 3 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
235kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 shollow
Energy
969kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 20 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
54kJ
Wind
N 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 shollow
Energy
1,200kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft12 shollow
Energy
1,795kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 shollow
Energy
1,095kJ
Wind
SE 1 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 149, fair
  2. Mon 274, good
  3. Tue 344, poor
  4. Wed 40, too big
  5. Thu 520, too small
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 70, too big
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 90, too big
  10. Tue 100, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Aug–Sep3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Diablo Deck - San Luis Obispo, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov49, fair3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.)350kJwind from the north-west, 14 knots18°C
Mon 2Nov74, good3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.)396kJwind from the north, 7 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 3Nov44, poor3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)235kJwind from the west, 4 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big7 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.)969kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov20, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)54kJwind from the north, 10 knots, offshore20°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big6 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)1,200kJwind from the north, 8 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big8 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.)1,795kJwind from the north, 7 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)1,095kJwind from the south-east, 1 knot21°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big8 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)1,255kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.)997kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots20°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

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 04:23 +0.3 mLow 08:48 +0.1 mHigh 14:28 +0.6 mLow 22:02 −0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:11 +0.5 mLow 10:27 −0.1 mHigh 15:56 +0.6 mLow 22:59 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:50 +0.6 mLow 11:41 −0.3 mHigh 17:18 +0.5 mLow 23:49 −0.8 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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Diablo Deck - San Luis Obispo

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

The spot faces SW (225°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (45°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August and September, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Los Osos.

Water about 15°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$1,200–US$2,160 each

about US$1,200–US$2,160 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 ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$529
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$1,200–US$2,160

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

Closest

Los Osos

19 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Los Osos · Booking.com

About Los Osos its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Los Osos, 11 km (about 20 min by car)

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 8h 55m

About 8h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h 30m by road

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