Sand Island
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 4 s
Mon 2 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 s
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- E 20 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 s
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- ESE 19 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 s
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 124, poor
- Mon 216, poor
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 426, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 103, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 24, poor | 3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 19 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 16, poor | 3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the east, 20 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 19 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft4 s3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 17°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 00:51 +0.3 mLow 11:39 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:56 +0.3 mLow 12:25 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:22 +0.2 mLow 12:57 −0.1 mHigh 21:10 +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.
Map
the spot and its town
Sand Island on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
1 place
- Dauphin Island Pier 4.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sand Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (180°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (0°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea is about 17°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Dauphin Island, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,110–US$1,980 each
about US$1,110–US$1,980 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 MDW to PNS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$342 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,110–US$1,980 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Dauphin Island
5 min by car · 24 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Dauphin Island 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 6h
About 6h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PNS, direct, then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → PNS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.