Pipe
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
52Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 179kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 145, fair
- Mon 262, good
- Tue 341, too small
- Wed 462, good
- Thu 568, good
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 733, too small
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 920, too small
- Tue 1039, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 239kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 62, good | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 68, good | 3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft12 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 26°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 03:44 +0.3 mLow 07:45 +0.1 mHigh 13:45 +0.6 mLow 21:25 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:36 +0.4 mLow 09:44 −0.1 mHigh 15:23 +0.6 mLow 22:26 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:16 +0.6 mLow 11:03 −0.3 mHigh 16:47 +0.5 mLow 23:17 −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 in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Pipe 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
- Pratte's Reef 0.9 km away
- El Segundo Beach Jetty 1.4 km away
- Dockweiler Beach 1.9 km away
- Hammerland 2.2 km away
- El Porto 2.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pipe
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (240°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (60°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Inglewood, 8.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.
Water about 18°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$1,060–US$1,930 each
about US$1,060–US$1,930 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 LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| 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$1,060–US$1,930 |
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
3 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About El Segundo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Manhattan Beach on Booking.com
8 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Hermosa Beach on Booking.com
13 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 6h 30m
About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LAX, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → LAX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.