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PlayGround
Surf spot · Malta
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (2 ft swell at 3 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NW 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- WNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 124, too small
- Mon 234, poor
- Tue 333, poor
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 956, fair
- Tue 1017, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 34, poor | 2 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 33, poor | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 1 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 56, fair | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 24°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 NovLow 00:39 −0.0 mHigh 07:11 +0.1 mLow 14:23 −0.0 mHigh 20:20 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:33 −0.0 mHigh 09:09 +0.1 mLow 15:59 −0.0 mHigh 22:32 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:23 −0.0 mHigh 10:51 +0.1 mLow 17:08 −0.1 mHigh 23:38 +0.1 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 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
- Oct1of 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, its town, photos
PlayGround 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of PlayGround
More surf near here
2 places
- Marsaxlokk, San Tumas 2.7 km away
- Bahar ic-Caghaq 14.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About PlayGround
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (95°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (275°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Marsaskala, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 4 dive sites.
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$1,130–US$2,160 each
about US$1,130–US$2,160 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 ORD to MLA, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$556–US$1,150 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$221–US$368 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$248–US$462 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,130–US$2,160 |
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$80/nightcountry average
About Marsaskala its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Marsaxlokk on Booking.com
4 min by car · 17 places to stay
- Beds in Is Swieqi on Booking.com
20 min by car · 144 places to stay
About US$80 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 18h 50m
About 18h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MLA, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → MLA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.