Staying Home Sucks, home
Hidden Beach, a beach in Redwood National Park
Freshwater Lagoon. Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Freshwater Lagoon

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

0Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Every day scores the same

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
1,441kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 ssoft
Energy
739kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
673kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,384kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
15°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
12 ft12 ssoft
Energy
3,298kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
14°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
724kJ
Wind
SE 3 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
9 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,515kJ
Wind
SSE 6 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, too big
  2. Tue 30, too big
  3. Wed 40, too big
  4. Thu 50, too big
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
  • Best Aug–Sep2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Freshwater Lagoon does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Freshwater Lagoon, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov0, too big7 ft15 scrumbling12 ft at break (est.)2,130kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots14°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big7 ft13 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.)1,441kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big6 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)739kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)673kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots14°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoft13 ft at break (est.)2,384kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots15°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big12 ft12 ssoft15 ft at break (est.)3,298kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots14°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big6 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)724kJwind from the south-east, 3 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big9 ft10 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,515kJwind from the south-south-east, 6 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big8 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,337kJwind from the south-south-east, 12 knots15°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 06:06 +0.6 mLow 11:36 −0.2 mHigh 17:11 +0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:03 −1.1 mHigh 06:57 +0.7 mLow 12:54 −0.5 mHigh 18:38 +0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:02 −0.9 mHigh 07:42 +0.8 mLow 13:58 −0.7 mHigh 19:56 +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.

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 Freshwater Lagoon

Redwood Beach Firewood, California
Near Freshwater Lagoon. Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Freshwater Lagoon

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

The spot faces W (280°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (100°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 40). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August and September, with about 2 good days in 7; in January and February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Orick, 4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,130–US$2,050 each

about US$1,130–US$2,050 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 MDW to ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$261–US$543
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$80–US$127
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$1,130–US$2,050

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

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

Closest

Orick

about 10 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Orick · Booking.com

About Orick 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 10h 40m

About 10h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 55 min by road

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