Matanzas Inlet
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 129, poor
- Mon 237, poor
- Tue 342, poor
- Wed 439, too small
- Thu 535, too small
- Fri 637, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–4 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jul–Aug5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 29, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 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 00:22 +0.6 mLow 06:21 −0.7 mHigh 12:58 +0.9 mLow 19:22 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:30 +0.6 mLow 07:32 −0.7 mHigh 14:02 +0.8 mLow 20:25 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:36 +0.7 mLow 08:43 −0.6 mHigh 15:04 +0.8 mLow 21:23 −0.7 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 Jul–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Matanzas Inlet 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
- Peanuts 0.2 km away
- Crescent Beach 7.4 km away
- Lighthouse 8.7 km away
- Backyard OG (ocean gallery) 12.1 km away
- D-Country 12.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Matanzas Inlet
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (73°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (253°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–4 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.1 km out (1 in 208). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 29°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually July and August, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Saint Augustine Beach. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,110–US$1,980 each
about US$1,110–US$1,980 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 MDW to JAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$167–US$348 |
| 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$1,110–US$1,980 |
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
29 min by car · 59 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Saint Augustine Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Saint Augustine on Booking.com
40 min by car · 109 places to stay
- Beds in Vilano Beach on Booking.com
43 min by car · 21 places to stay
Nearest beds: Saint Augustine Beach, 17 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 6h 15m
About 6h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → JAX, direct, then 2h by road
Flights MDW → JAX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.