Henlopen
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
32Poor 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
- 9kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 213, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 529, too small
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 840, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1038, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 0 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 20°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 01:36 +0.5 mLow 07:34 −0.6 mHigh 14:06 +0.7 mLow 20:29 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:45 +0.6 mLow 08:45 −0.6 mHigh 15:12 +0.7 mLow 21:27 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:47 +0.7 mLow 09:51 −0.6 mHigh 16:12 +0.7 mLow 22:20 −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
No month stands out
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
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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 and its town
Henlopen 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
- The Cove - Delaware 0.9 km away
- Naval Jetty 2 km away
- Gordon's pond 3.4 km away
- North Shores 5.4 km away
- Rehoboth - Main 7.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Henlopen
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (83°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (263°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 115). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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). The town to stay in is Rehoboth Beach, 7.6 km away (about 15 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$1,100–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: 2 towns
about 15 min by car · 80 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Rehoboth Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dewey Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 36 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 20m
About 6h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PHL, direct, then 2h 35m by road
Flights MDW → PHL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.