Matanzas Inlet
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 2 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- E 12 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 68 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 10, too big
- Mon 27, poor
- Tue 38, poor
- Wed 442, poor
- Thu 571, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 868, good
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1056, fair
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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 7, poor | 3 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 71, good | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 68, good | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 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 beginners: 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
- 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.