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Indicator
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
52Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 162kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 189kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 257, fair
- Tue 327, too small
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 640, too small
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 843, too small
- Mon 942, too small
- Tue 1057, fair
- Wed 1167, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Indicator 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 | 57, fair | 3 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 162kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 189kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 67, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 189kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 21°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 04:36 +0.4 mLow 09:45 −0.1 mHigh 15:25 +0.6 mLow 22:26 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:16 +0.6 mLow 11:03 −0.3 mHigh 16:48 +0.5 mLow 23:16 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:51 +0.7 mLow 12:01 −0.5 mHigh 17:55 +0.5 mLow 23:59 −0.7 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
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 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
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 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
Indicator 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Palos Verde - Bluff Cove 0.8 km away
- Pipes & Turbos 0.8 km away
- Dominators 1.7 km away
- Exiles 1.8 km away
- Lunada Bay 2.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Indicator
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (278°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (98°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Redondo Beach, 6.5 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots.
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$1,070–US$1,950 each
about US$1,070–US$1,950 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$517 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$1,070–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: 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
about 15 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Redondo Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Rancho Palos Verdes on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 1 place to stay
- Beds in Hermosa Beach on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 27 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 40m
About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LAX, direct, then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → LAX on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.