Hess
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 144, poor
- Mon 246, fair
- Tue 339, poor
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 541, too small
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 25 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Sep1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 18°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 00:09 +0.4 mLow 06:11 −0.5 mHigh 12:46 +0.7 mLow 19:13 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:18 +0.5 mLow 07:23 −0.5 mHigh 13:49 +0.6 mLow 20:13 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:25 +0.5 mLow 08:33 −0.5 mHigh 14:50 +0.6 mLow 21:09 −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
best in Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 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
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Hess 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
- Peg Leg's 0.7 km away
- Pelican beach park 1.1 km away
- Satellite Beach 1.7 km away
- Buccaneer 2.2 km away
- Canova Beach 2.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hess
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (79°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (259°). 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 850 m out (1 in 85). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Indialantic, 7.9 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.
Water about 25°C: no wetsuit. 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$2,010 each
about US$1,130–US$2,010 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 MCO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$181–US$375 |
| 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$1,130–US$2,010 |
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
4 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Satellite Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Indialantic on Booking.com
14 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in Cocoa Beach on Booking.com
36 min by car · 44 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 15m
About 6h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MCO, direct, then 1h 45m by road
Flights MDW → MCO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.