Port Renfrew
Surf spot · Canada
Is it worth the trip?
78Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 9 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 949kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 243kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,921kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 14 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 5,197kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,775kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 90 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,077kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Mon 9 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,079kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 283, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 586, good
- Fri 647, fair
- Sat 786, good
- Sun 890, good
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1068, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best Nov–Feb2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 83, good | 7 ft13 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,419kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 10°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 6 ft12 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 949kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 243kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 86, good | 9 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.) | 1,921kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 47, fair | 14 ft12 ssoft17 ft at break (est.) | 5,197kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 86, good | 9 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.) | 1,775kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 90, good | 9 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.) | 2,077kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 8 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,079kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 68, good | 7 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 732kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 12°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 06:48 +0.9 mLow 12:41 −0.4 mHigh 18:16 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:07 −1.4 mHigh 07:48 +1.0 mLow 14:01 −0.7 mHigh 19:43 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:11 −1.2 mHigh 08:39 +1.1 mLow 15:06 −1.0 mHigh 20:59 +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 Nov–Feb
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Port Renfrew on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
1 place
- Sombrio Beach 10.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Port Renfrew
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (253°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (73°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 5.0 km out (1 in 500). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 12°C in July, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, November and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Renfrew, 0.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots and 2 dive sites.
Water about 11°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$1,050–US$1,920 each
about US$1,050–US$1,920 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 ORD to YVR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$523 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$308–US$576 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,050–US$1,920 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Port Renfrew
about 5 min by car · 26 places to stay
about US$100/nightcountry average
About Port Renfrew its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$100 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 10h 05m
About 10h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YVR, direct, then 2h 20m by road
Flights ORD → YVR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.