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

Salt Creek Point

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

74Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 2 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
25kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Tue 3 · 59 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
256kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 76 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
137kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 79 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
92kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 81 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
86kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 83 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
65kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 66 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
61kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 127, poor
  2. Mon 237, poor
  3. Tue 359, fair
  4. Wed 476, good
  5. Thu 579, good
  6. Fri 681, good
  7. Sat 783, good
  8. Sun 866, good
  9. Mon 967, good
  10. Tue 1078, 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 Point, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov27, poor3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)334kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore21°C
Mon 2Nov37, poor2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)25kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore22°C
Tue 3Nov59, fair3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)256kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore22°C
Wed 4Nov76, good2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)137kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov79, good2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots23°C
Fri 6Nov81, good2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov83, good2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov66, good2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)61kJwind from the east, 1 knot26°C
Mon 9Nov67, good1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)49kJwind from the west, 4 knots27°C
Tue 10Nov78, good2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the south, 3 knots25°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 03:37 +0.3 mLow 07:41 +0.1 mHigh 13:42 +0.6 mLow 21:22 −0.9 m
  • 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

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 Point

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

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Salt Creek Point

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

The spot faces SW (231°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (51°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 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

5 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.