Fenwick Island
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
46Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- SSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 642, poor
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 932, too small
- Tue 1012, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Fenwick Island does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft10 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the south-east, 12 knots | 19°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 01:15 +0.4 mLow 07:16 −0.5 mHigh 13:47 +0.7 mLow 20:14 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:25 +0.5 mLow 08:29 −0.5 mHigh 14:53 +0.6 mLow 21:12 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:28 +0.6 mLow 09:35 −0.5 mHigh 15:53 +0.6 mLow 22:04 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, 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
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Fenwick Island on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Fenwick Island
More surf near here
5 places
- State Line 0.3 km away
- Bethany Hollywood St 9.4 km away
- Cambell 9.5 km away
- Inlet Shoals 15.1 km away
- Porkies 15.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Fenwick Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (94°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (274°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Fenwick Island, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 1 kayak spot.
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$1,090–US$1,940 each
about US$1,090–US$1,940 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 BWI, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$147–US$308 |
| 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$1,090–US$1,940 |
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
about 5 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Fenwick Island its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bethany Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 34 places to stay
- Beds in Rehoboth Beach on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 80 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 50m
About 6h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BWI, direct, then 3h 05m by road
Flights MDW → BWI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.