Staying Home Sucks, home
Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Palm Beach County, FL, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 245219936
Near Red Reef. Photo: (c) Josiah Londerée, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Red Reef

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

42Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 44 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
129kJ
Wind
ESE 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Tue 3 · 45 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
92kJ
Wind
E 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 49 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
68kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 31 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
46kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 50 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
86kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
20kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
15kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 132, poor
  2. Mon 244, poor
  3. Tue 345, fair
  4. Wed 449, fair
  5. Thu 531, too small
  6. Fri 650, fair
  7. Sat 723, too small
  8. Sun 813, too small
  9. Mon 912, too small
  10. Tue 1040, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best in Sep1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Red Reef, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov32, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)153kJwind from the east, 10 knots25°C
Mon 2Nov44, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the east-south-east, 9 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov45, fair4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the east, 8 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov49, fair3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)68kJwind from the east, 6 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov31, too small3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots28°C
Fri 6Nov50, fair3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore27°C
Sat 7Nov23, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov13, too small1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Mon 9Nov12, too small1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the west-north-west, 0 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 10Nov40, poor3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore24°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 00:17 +0.4 mLow 06:29 −0.4 mHigh 13:02 +0.5 mLow 19:21 −0.4 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 01:28 +0.4 mLow 07:38 −0.4 mHigh 14:07 +0.5 mLow 20:24 −0.4 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:39 +0.4 mLow 08:48 −0.4 mHigh 15:09 +0.5 mLow 21:24 −0.4 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, its town, photos

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Red Reef

Protected Sea Turtle Nest (Boca Raton FL)
Photo: Ianaré Sévi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Boca Raton, FL, USA - panoramio (8)
Near Red Reef. Photo: William “Patrick” Ma…, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Red Reef

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (96°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (276°). It is sheltered 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 500 m out (1 in 51). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Boca Raton, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 3 dive sites.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. 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$1,070–US$1,920 each

about US$1,070–US$1,920 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to FLL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$201–US$409
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,070–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: 3 towns

Closest

Boca Raton

3 min by car · 29 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 29 places to stay in Boca Raton · Booking.com

About Boca Raton its beds, food and every spot near it

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 5h 45m

About 5h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → FLL, direct, then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.