Ian's Reef
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 391kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 257kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 113kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 113kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 149, fair
- Mon 275, good
- Tue 354, fair
- Wed 470, good
- Thu 577, good
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 842, too small
- Mon 938, too small
- Tue 1054, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
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 | 49, fair | 4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 405kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 75, good | 4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 391kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 70, good | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 77, good | 4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 23°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 03:31 +0.3 mLow 07:36 +0.1 mHigh 13:37 +0.6 mLow 21:16 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:24 +0.4 mLow 09:35 −0.1 mHigh 15:15 +0.6 mLow 22:16 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:04 +0.6 mLow 10:53 −0.3 mHigh 16:37 +0.5 mLow 23:06 −0.8 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).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Ian's Reef 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
- Sunset Cliffs - Osprey 0 km away
- Garbage 0.1 km away
- Ab 0.6 km away
- Newbreak (Nubes) 0.9 km away
- No Surf 0.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ian's Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (262°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (82°). 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 450 m out (1 in 43). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Coronado, 8.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 14 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 1 dive site.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,060–US$1,930 each
about US$1,060–US$1,930 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,060–US$1,930 |
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
14 min by car · 43 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Coronado its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in San Diego on Booking.com
15 min by car · 185 places to stay
- Beds in Imperial Beach on Booking.com
35 min by car · 12 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 30m
About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.