Pillar Point
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 232kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 87kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- SSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 289kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 sslab
- Energy
- 664kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 334kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 17, too small
- Mon 219, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 634, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 916, too small
- Tue 1010, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 10 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
Pillar Point does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft17 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 232kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 8°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 87kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 34, too small | 5 ft12 sslabunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 664kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 334kJ | offshorewind from the south, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 10°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 13°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 05:34 +0.9 mLow 11:08 −0.3 mHigh 16:48 +1.1 mLow 23:56 −1.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:41 +0.9 mLow 12:37 −0.5 mHigh 18:11 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:05 −1.4 mHigh 07:42 +1.1 mLow 13:57 −0.8 mHigh 19:37 +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.
Map
the spot and its town
Pillar Point 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
1 place
- Hoko river Kydaka 11.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pillar Point
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (26°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (206°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 12°C in August, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). The town to stay in is Sekiu.
Water about 10°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,190–US$2,150 each
about US$1,190–US$2,150 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 SEA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| 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$1,190–US$2,150 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Sekiu
27 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Sekiu its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Sekiu, 16 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 9h 05m
About 9h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SEA, direct, then 3h 05m by road
Flights MDW → SEA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.