Malaga Cove
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
66Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 2 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 178kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 94kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 128, poor
- Mon 271, good
- Tue 357, fair
- Wed 435, poor
- Thu 516, poor
- Fri 671, good
- Sat 774, good
- Sun 879, good
- Mon 982, good
- Tue 1080, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 71, good | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 57, fair | 2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, poor | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, poor | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 71, good | 2 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 74, good | 2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 79, good | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 82, good | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 80, good | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 24°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 03:45 +0.3 mLow 07:47 +0.1 mHigh 13:47 +0.6 mLow 21:25 −0.9 m
- 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
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 beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Malaga Cove 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
- Haggarty's 0.3 km away
- Rat Beach 0.3 km away
- Exiles 0.8 km away
- Burnout 1.3 km away
- Soup Bowls 1.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Malaga Cove
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (284°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (104°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 29). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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, 4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 15 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$1,940 each
about US$1,070–US$1,940 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 LAX, 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$27–US$47 |
| 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$1,940 |
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
7 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 Torrance on Booking.com
11 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Hermosa Beach on Booking.com
11 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 30 October 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 · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.