Ocean Lakes
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Mon 9 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 238, poor
- Tue 336, poor
- Wed 438, too small
- Thu 537, too small
- Fri 634, too small
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 833, too small
- Mon 929, too small
- Tue 1016, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jun–Aug5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 36, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the west, 9 knots, offshore | 18°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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:57 +0.7 mLow 07:06 −0.7 mHigh 13:29 +0.9 mLow 19:55 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:05 +0.8 mLow 08:16 −0.7 mHigh 14:32 +0.9 mLow 20:54 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:08 +0.8 mLow 09:22 −0.7 mHigh 15:32 +0.8 mLow 21:48 −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
best Jun–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
- Jun5of 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
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Ocean Lakes 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
- Surfside Pier 2.9 km away
- 13th ave south surfside 4.3 km away
- Garden City Pier 6.9 km away
- Parking Lots 7.5 km away
- The Reef 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ocean Lakes
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 4.0 km out (1 in 400). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Surfside Beach, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 19°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$971–US$1,740 each
about US$971–US$1,740 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 MYR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$328 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$971–US$1,740 |
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
about 5 min by car · 52 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Surfside Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Garden City Beach on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 44 places to stay
- Beds in Murrells Inlet on Booking.com
about 20 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 4h 30m
About 4h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MYR, direct, then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → MYR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.