Main Street
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 17 s
Mon 2 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft17 scrumbling
- Energy
- 544kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,059kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 966kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 295kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft15 scrumbling
- Energy
- 842kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,637kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,018kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 139, poor
- Mon 270, good
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 526, poor
- Fri 620, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 90, too big
- 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 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
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 | 39, poor | 3 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 337kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 70, good | 3 ft17 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 544kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 5 ft14 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 1,059kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 966kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, poor | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 295kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, poor | 5 ft15 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 842kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,637kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,018kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,128kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 935kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 19°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 04:20 +0.3 mLow 08:46 +0.1 mHigh 14:26 +0.6 mLow 22:00 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:08 +0.5 mLow 10:25 −0.1 mHigh 15:54 +0.5 mLow 22:57 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:48 +0.6 mLow 11:39 −0.3 mHigh 17:16 +0.5 mLow 23:47 −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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Main Street 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
- Hippo Rock 13 km away
- Oceano 15.2 km away
- Pismo Beach 19.7 km away
- Sewers 21.7 km away
- St. Annes 21.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Main Street
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (271°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (91°). 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 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Oceano.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,200–US$2,160 each
about US$1,200–US$2,160 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 ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$529 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,160 |
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
27 min by car · 19 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Oceano its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Pismo Beach on Booking.com
35 min by car · 47 places to stay
- Beds in Shell Beach on Booking.com
37 min by car · 10 places to stay
Nearest beds: Oceano, 15 km (about 30 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 8h 20m
About 8h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.