Jamaica Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
2Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (1 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft2 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft2 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 12, too small
- Mon 23, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 41, too small
- Thu 51, too small
- Fri 61, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 90, too small
- Tue 101, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Jamaica Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft2 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft3 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too small | 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 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 NovLow 13:59 −0.3 mHigh 22:37 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 06:19 +0.1 mHigh 07:36 +0.1 mLow 15:27 −0.3 mHigh 23:23 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:59 +0.1 mHigh 10:13 +0.1 mLow 17:02 −0.2 mHigh 23:59 +0.2 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 and its town
Jamaica Beach 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Jamaica Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (331°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (151°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 20.0 km out (1 in 2000). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Jamaica Beach, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 22°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$1,120–US$2,000 each
about US$1,120–US$2,000 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 HOU, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$174–US$368 |
| 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$1,120–US$2,000 |
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
2 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Jamaica Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Galveston on Booking.com
38 min by car · 94 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 5h 45m
About 5h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → HOU, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → HOU on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.