Staying Home Sucks, home
Salt Creek Beach Sunset - panoramio
Near Salt Creek Heroins. Photo: Steve Riggins, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Salt Creek Heroins

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

79Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 60 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
258kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 77 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
147kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 82 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
101kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 80 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
76kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 83 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
66kJ
Wind
SSW 0 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 83 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
59kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 63 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
50kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
27°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 275, good
  2. Tue 360, good
  3. Wed 477, good
  4. Thu 582, good
  5. Fri 680, good
  6. Sat 783, good
  7. Sun 883, good
  8. Mon 963, good
  9. Tue 1072, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 1–6 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Oct–Nov6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Salt Creek Heroins, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov75, good2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the north, 0 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov60, good3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)258kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore22°C
Wed 4Nov77, good2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)147kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov82, good2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots23°C
Fri 6Nov80, good2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)76kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov83, good2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the south-south-west, 0 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov83, good2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)59kJwind from the east, 1 knot26°C
Mon 9Nov63, good2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west, 4 knots27°C
Tue 10Nov72, good2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)78kJwind from the south-east, 1 knot25°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 04:31 +0.4 mLow 09:41 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.6 mLow 22:23 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.5 mLow 11:00 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:14 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:46 +0.7 mLow 11:57 −0.5 mHigh 17:51 +0.5 mLow 23:56 −0.7 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 beginners: 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 Salt Creek Heroins

Salt Creek Beach, CA - panoramio
Near Salt Creek Heroins. Photo: Steve Riggins, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Salt Creek Beach, Dana Point, United States (Unsplash)
Near Salt Creek Heroins. Photo: Herson Rodriguez hero, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Salt Creek Heroins

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

The spot faces SW (228°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (48°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually October and November, with about 6 good days in 7; in April and May, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Dana Point, 3.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,110–US$2,000 each

about US$1,110–US$2,000 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 ORD to SNA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$67–US$107
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$1,110–US$2,000

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

Dana Point

about 10 min by car · 22 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 22 places to stay in Dana Point · Booking.com

About Dana Point 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 7h

About 7h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SNA, direct, then 50 min by road

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