El Coronado
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 s
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 s
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 s
- Energy
- 128kJ
- Wind
- W 15 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, too small
- Mon 210, too small
- Tue 310, too small
- Wed 423, too small
- Thu 539, poor
- Fri 655, fair
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 837, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Sep–Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-east, 1 knot | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 39, poor | 4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft7 s6 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | offshorewind from the west, 15 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 19 knots | 14°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 NovLow 05:49 −0.6 mHigh 12:19 +0.8 mLow 18:53 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:00 +0.5 mLow 07:00 −0.6 mHigh 13:28 +0.8 mLow 19:56 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:09 +0.6 mLow 08:12 −0.6 mHigh 14:35 +0.7 mLow 20:55 −0.6 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
best Sep–Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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 and its town
El Coronado on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Diamond Beach 1 km away
- Trestles 3.2 km away
- North Wildwood 5.5 km away
- Wildwood 2nd Street 6.3 km away
- Stockon Beach 7.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Coronado
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (133°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (313°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea is about 4°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually September and October, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Wildwood Crest, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,100–US$1,950 each
about US$1,100–US$1,950 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PHL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$154–US$315 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,100–US$1,950 |
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
3 min by car · 209 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Wildwood Crest its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Wildwood on Booking.com
6 min by car · 271 places to stay
- Beds in North Wildwood on Booking.com
10 min by car · 168 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
About 6h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PHL, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → PHL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.