La Jolla Shores
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 380kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 281kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 160, good
- Mon 274, good
- Tue 349, fair
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 557, fair
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 729, too small
- Sun 831, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1038, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
La Jolla Shores does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 60, good | 4 ft13 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 380kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 74, good | 4 ft13 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 380kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft12 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 281kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the east, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 27°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 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:39 +0.6 mLow 21:18 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:26 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:39 +0.5 mLow 23:09 −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
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
La Jolla Shores 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Green Wall 0.4 km away
- Scripps 0.5 km away
- Devil Slides 0.6 km away
- North Scripps 0.7 km away
- La Jolla Cove 1.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Jolla Shores
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (290°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (110°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 62). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 3 good days in 7; in July, August and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Del Mar. Within 5 km we also list 17 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.
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$1,960 each
about US$1,070–US$1,960 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$33–US$60 |
| 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$1,070–US$1,960 |
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
19 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Del Mar its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Solana Beach on Booking.com
26 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in San Diego on Booking.com
32 min by car · 185 places to stay
Nearest beds: Del Mar, 11 km (about 20 min by car)
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 40m
About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.