Staying Home Sucks, home
Crescent City California harbor aerial view
Crescent City, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Lake Talawa

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

3Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft15 ssoft
Energy
2,288kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
13°C

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,606kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 16 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
455kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
13°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
645kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
13°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,471kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
15°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
11 ft11 ssoft
Energy
2,929kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
15°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,012kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
15°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 138, too small
  2. Mon 20, too big
  3. Tue 30, too big
  4. Wed 416, poor
  5. Thu 50, too big
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 70, too big
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 90, too big
  10. Tue 100, too big

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 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Lake Talawa, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov38, too small3 ft18 smushy6 ft at break (est.)434kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots13°C
Mon 2Nov0, too big7 ft15 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)2,288kJwind from the east, 5 knots13°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big7 ft13 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,606kJwind from the east, 6 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov16, poor5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)455kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore13°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big6 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)645kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots13°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoft13 ft at break (est.)2,471kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots15°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big11 ft11 ssoft14 ft at break (est.)2,929kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots15°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,012kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big10 ft10 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,672kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots16°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)824kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots16°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

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

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Lake Talawa

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (280°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (100°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 6.7 km out (1 in 667). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Crescent City, 8.9 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,210–US$2,180 each

about US$1,210–US$2,180 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$261–US$543
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,210–US$2,180

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

Closest

Crescent City

16 min by car · 35 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 35 places to stay in Crescent City · Booking.com

About Crescent City its beds, food and every spot near it

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 11h 30m

About 11h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 1h 45m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.