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Matagorda science center 2008
Matagorda. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Matagorda

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

14Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), onshore wind, 11 kn (20 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
4kJ
Wind
SSE 8 kn
Temp
26°C

Tue 3 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft3 smushy
Energy
6kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
4kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
24°C

Thu 5 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
6kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 24 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
17kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 115, too small
  2. Mon 27, too small
  3. Tue 313, too small
  4. Wed 413, too small
  5. Thu 54, too small
  6. Fri 67, too small
  7. Sat 716, too small
  8. Sun 824, too small
  9. Mon 912, too small
  10. Tue 107, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 22 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Matagorda, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov15, too small1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots25°C
Mon 2Nov7, too small1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the south-south-east, 8 knots26°C
Tue 3Nov13, too small2 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots26°C
Wed 4Nov13, too small1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the north, 8 knots, offshore24°C
Thu 5Nov4, too small1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east, 7 knots24°C
Fri 6Nov7, too small1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north, 8 knots, offshore25°C
Sat 7Nov16, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov24, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov12, too small1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the north, 8 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small1 ft3 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots20°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 13:36 −0.3 mHigh 22:48 +0.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 15:00 −0.2 mHigh 23:15 +0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 05:44 +0.1 mHigh 08:49 +0.1 mLow 16:35 −0.1 mHigh 23:27 +0.1 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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Matagorda

2026 Pre Event-GC2601a OB N RGB-raw-185931 0118261700069 086 RGB2
Photo: NOAA / NODD, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Matagorda

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

The spot faces SE (150°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (330°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.9 km out (1 in 294). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Matagorda.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to HOU, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$174–US$368
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$1,120–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: Matagorda

Closest

Matagorda

18 min by car · 16 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 16 places to stay in Matagorda · Booking.com

About Matagorda its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Matagorda, 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 7h

About 7h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → HOU, direct, then 2h 40m by road

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